Beneath The Winter Sky
by RWBRyan
Summary: A young demigod is "sentenced" to camp after trouble with the law. But as events unfold, it will bring the question of just whose blood is he of...and if it is even Olympian in the first place.
1. Busted

Chapter 1: Busted

I breathed deeply of the icy, biting cold air as I made my way through the woods, wondering just how much longer it was going to be to get to the next town. I hadn't been near civilization for about a week, and my supplies were starting to run rather low, which this far out, was not exactly a good thing. I continued to walk through the woods, the icy air feeling very good on my skin.

I didn't know why cold air felt so good on me. Maybe my body was just designed for cold. Maybe I had an issue. But the cold frost never bothered me, never once in my life. I had never experienced what other people would call cold, though I knew harshly just what the summer heat was. Anything above seventy degrees to me felt like a baking oven, and I would have sworn that I would melt like the Wicked Witch should I ever go to the desert. _I'm melting! I'm melting!_

I continued my march through the wilderness, moving effortlessly through it. I made a point of staying low, so if any hikers came near, I could easily jump into some sort of cover and hide myself amongst the trees. I had always been good at hiding, since I had been hiding from the world for the past...oh hell, I don't know. All I know is that the world was a seriously messed up POS, and that it was better to go unnoticed. Like I was doing right now.

I only did this when necessary. Stealing was not exactly in my nature, but when you have to do it or risk starvation, what can you do? Sometimes, it is the only thing between you and death, and what would you rather face, death or committing thievery? It wasn't like this was not done on a daily basis by other people, and I only did it out of necessity. And so here I was, approaching another town that I had no idea what it was, did not care in the slightest, and was going to take just a teeniest amount of food for self-preservation. For sheer self-preservation.

The only food I didn't steal was what I could hunt. I was actually surprised that I could catch most small animals in traps and such. I nicked a book on hunting and traps from a library some time ago, and I was able to use it to supplement what I could steal from towns I came across. And most of all, I was able to learn to construct my own bow and make arrows out of stone, and I surprised even myself with how I was able to shoot it so accurately. If I could only make money off of archery competitions, but there was no way in hell I was going to sign up for one. What would people think to see a filthy young teen participating in an archery competition among adults, and even then, just how much money were those even worth?

I cursed under my breath as I heard a car nearby. I did not want to be this close to any roads. People might pull over and ask too many questions. I didn't want to be placed in some home with anyone, I really do not have much patience for that. I had seen and heard of too many cases of foster parent abuse. I didn't watch much TV, but what I did see, just gave that much of an impression that the world was...I already covered that...

The town finally came into view. It seemed to be one of those small town varieties, not much going on, not many people living there. Perfect for what I needed. Now to find the grocery store...

I cautiously scouted out the buildings from my perched position at the edge of the woods. I didn't see many people, only several warmly snug folks walking down various mostly empty streets, laughing and some even cuddling. I snorted at their attractions and affections, for I never had any use for such meager things. I had never bothered to get close to anyone, man nor beast. Man I avoided, and beast usually ended up in my stomach, if possible..

Slowly, and carefully, I made my way out of the protecting woods and into the maze if buildings. I stayed close to walls and alleys, staying crouched and my leg muscles ready to bolt. It would be one thing to be cornered by normal people, bu to be cornered by one of those coppers would be problematic. I wasn't equipped to deal with some one who would not hesitate to shoot me should I resist. And I _would_ resist...

Finally, I came across the grocery store. I was relieved to see that it was a relatively large store. Open areas give room for escape if necessary. I looked for a cashier through the window and saw that there was only one on duty, probably due to it being near closing time. He was a nerdy looking youngster, no more than about seventeen or eighteen years of age. I grinned, for this would be easier than I thought. All I needed to was...

-0-

Darren Black sat at his counter, reading the latest fad magazine about some celebrity mishap, probably Lindsey Lohan or Wesley Snipes. No wait, Snipes was in jail right now. And judging from the content of the story, obviously it was a "Lohan Strikes Again" story. How could that girl do that again and again? Drugs are bad, even toddlers know that. But her IQ was probably in the gerbil range, so he wasn't all that surprised.

The store was deserted, but at this time of night, in this small of a town, he was not surprised of that either. Not many people would want to come into a grocery store at this time of night, nearly the dead of it. So he read the next article of his magazine, seeing news on the mosque in New York. He was so engrossed that he did not notice the boy staring into the store through the window, nor did he see how he scanned the various items upon the shelves, already making plans.

The boy at the window was about 5'7, and of a lean build, sort of like a woodsman would be. His light blue eyes scanned the shelves and made a note of where everything was, at least that he could see from the window. He then turned his attention to the bored young man reading his magazine, and contemplated something.

Of course, Darren was not familiar with this boy, for he had his back to him and was engrossed with the reading of his story in the magazine. He chuckled at something funny, and then turned the age to some advertising catalog. He grumbled and turned the page again to see a extremely sexy vixen clad in some tight fitting lingerie. He made a sound of satisfaction and began to drape his eyes over the woman on the page, taking in the curved and feeling the power of...well...great power.

Darren glanced at the clock and saw that it was past eleven. He shook his head and wondered just when the hell midnight was coming. The store owner was adamant about closing times and faithfulness. She would check the cameras to see if he had indeed left when he was supposed to, and had not ditched the store early. In other words, the manager was a _bitch_.

He wasn't really thrilled about going home either. His parents were nice people, but they were so boring that he would rather sit here and read all night. But if he did that, then the woman who ran the store would come down on him like there was not tomorrow. When the time struck twelve midnight, it was time to pack it up and get out of the store. There were no ifs, and, or buts about it.

He glanced at the store clock after another long wait and swore. Still thirty minutes to go. Why couldn't time go any faster!

_Would this guy hurry up and get his ass out of the store already?_

-0-

I had been standing out here for about fifteen minutes, wondering just when the hell this guy was going to try and go home. I needed some supplies from this store and I really did not want to stand out here much longer. People would begin to wonder why a boy is standing outside in the cold without any winter gear. I don't really feel the cold, don't ask me why. But other people would, and that was something I wanted to avoid.

I began to pace around, my nerves on end. I listened for any coming footsteps, and prepared to duck behind something in the alley next the back of the store should I hear anything. The guy continued to flip through his magazine, and I was sure it had to be some weird smut mag. I wondered just what people read these days, as I really had not picked up any reading material for months. I knew how to read, taught by some nice people in a home I stayed in for a while, but out in the wilds, you really did not get much reading material.

I growled, an animalistic sound that came from deep in my chest, and I looked around to make sure I was alone...yep, I was still alone next to an almost closed store. And if this guy was not going to come out pretty soon, then I was just going to go in there and knock him flat. I didn't care about the cameras. I would be gone long before anyone could react.

I stood there for a while longer and glared, and then finally, just maybe, he was starting to leave. I slowly descended into the alley behind me, not taking my eyes off of him for a moment...

-0-

Darren finally decided to call it quits. The time for closing was still fifteen minutes, but he just decided to hell with it. He was tired, cold, and had a long day. Home would mean a hot meal and a warm bed, and he was not in the mood to mess with locking much up. He would simply turn on the security system and lock the main doors, leaving whatever happens to be recorded on the cameras.

He went around the store, turning off lights. It grew darker and more creepy with each light turned off, but he really did not care. If a ghost came up while he was this tired, he would have passed right through it without even seeing it.

He finally walked to the front entrance and pressed several buttons on the security system. He took a deep breathe of the cold night air before stepping out onto the sidewalk, wanting to get home before long. He had stepped no fewer than about ten steps before he heard movement in the darkness of the alley next to him.

He stopped at stared out into the vastness, but he could not see anything that would be derived as being of human form. He stared into it again before taking another step forward.

"Help me..."

He stopped at the voice. It was low and barely audible, but it clearly was coming from that alley. He heard a muffled shuffling sound and several small moans of what could be heard as pain. Thoughts ran through his head as to what to do.

_Help Him?_

_ Call somebody?_

_ Is it a trick?_

He heard more shuffling again, and the voice called out once more, slightly louder this time.

"Please help me..."

Darren couldn't just go off and run away when someone was calling for help, could he? The area around him was devoid of anyone who could help. He was alone, and someone was obviously in danger and badly hurt. He took a deep breathe and moved into the alley.

"Hello!" he called.

"Help me...over here..."

Darren looked over to see a shape of something human laying on the ground near a dumpster outside the store. Darren slowly walked over to the figure, which was mostly covered in shadow.

"Are you all right?"

"I think I need something?"

"What can I get you?"

"You can give me the keys to this store. I need food..." the boy said, and this time it was in a perfectly normal voice.

Darren reared up slightly at the sudden change in tone, but before he could say anything, the figure lashed out and socked him on the side of the head with a vicious blow, and he was thrown to the ground, his vision cloudy, and then he knew no more...

-0-

I grinned in triumph. My plan actually worked, and the guy had been dumb enough to fall for it! I could almost howl with laughter at how stupid some people could be, but that really was one for the ages. I reached into his pocket and dug out the keys. I gave them a little twirl in my hand as I reached down and patted the boy on the head.

"Thanks man, I owe you one. I hope you don't get screwed for this..."

I walked over and began to try out the various keys on the door. No one was around, and the guy I knocked out would take some time to return to the land of the living. I tried the first key and it was no good. Key number two went into the hole, and again it was no good. I treid a third and it once again would not work. I grumbled in annoyance and tried a forth key and open the door swung. I stepped in an observed the scene.

_Jackpot!_

I quickly opened my bag and began to collect the foods I was after. I first went to the produce department and scooped up some of the fruits and veggies that were on display. Then I made my way to the bread ailse and picked up several loafs. Then I made a point of collecting several water bottles to help in avoiding the necessity of melting snow or finding a stream or natural water source.

My bladder began to talk to me, and I quickly slipped into the bathroom. As I was reliving myself, feeling the blessed release of built-up fluids, I heard something outside. I focused my hearing to block out the flow into the toilet, and heard what sounded like people talking. A man's voice could be heard and a woman as well.

"Some alarm tripped. I don't see any sign of forced entry..."

I swore silently. Apparently, there was some silent alarm. Bloody Hell...

I could not stop peeing. My body was almost done, but the disturbance of the toilet water was loud enough to attract anyone who knew what to listen for. And apparently, they also saw the light coming from the bathroom, and I heard them run up and a man's voice called out harshly.

"All right, come out with you hands up!"

I finally stopped peeing. How could I have tripped an alarm? I went in through the front door, not bust a window or anything? Maybe they had one of those alarms that had to be activated and would be tripped if you came in without first deactivating it. Oh how could I have been so damn stupid? Wait a minute, I wasn't stupid! How was I to know that a low budget grocery store would have an advanced security system? But that was the least of my worries. It sounded like the cops were threatening to bust the door down and take me with my pants down, somewhat literally.

First thing I did was zip my fly...

"I say again, this is the police. If you do not open this door at the count of ten, we will bust it open and you will face possibly more serious charges. Open the door now, and we will be much less violent. I say again, on the count of ten. One...two...three" he began to count down.

_Ten seconds? All the time in the world..._

I took into account that the door opened swinging to the left, and that they would be in a exposed position from the their right if they just barged in. I considered the possibility that they would simply kick the door down and order me out, but then again, police were not known for their intelligence. So I was pretty sure they would rush in blindly, trying to apprehend a meager thief. Well, I may be a thief, but I am far from something meager. Two pigs would be drop in the bucket to me, provided I didn't get shot or taserd.

I took a position just to the left side of the door, so I would be on their right as they came in. I listened to them count down and when he got to ten, the door flew open due to the smashing kick the cop placed on it. His leg strength was not lacking, but his basic intelligence was, as he simply rushed in, and my hand connected to the back of his neck. His head was thrown back and he fell to his knees, and I kicked him in the back of his head, sending him to the tiled floor. I whirled to find the woman cop swinging a nightstick.

I ducked the blow, and smashed her nose with the flat of my palm, forcing her head up as well, and then I gave her a blow to her gut, and she went down. I picked up the nightstick and held it over her, knowing what had to be done. She looked up at me with her face oozing blood from her nose, and I gave a few twirls of the nightstick, getting used to it in preparation for a final blow.

"No, please don't-!" she pleaded

"Lady, I can't have you calling for back-up, now can I? Besides, I won't kill you. You'll wake up with a big-ass headache, but you won't be dead." with that, I brought the club down on her head, and she instantly was knocked out by the blow. She still breathed slowly however, so I knew that I had not accidentally hit her too hard. I gave a few more twists of the nightstick, and found I liked the feel. I might just hold onto it for a while.

"Please understand, I have nothing against you. Just going my way and surviving the best way I can..." I said to the unconscious police. Then I strapped my bag of stolen supplies tighter to my back and walked out, making a run for the exit, determined to get out of this town before any more attention could be directed on me. Apparently I was out of luck in that department.

A siren sounded from a few hundreds yards away, and it was closing fast. The cops might have been given several alarms from this place, and when they did not get a call from the downed officers, they must have sent some additional units. Oh hell again...looks like this was going to be some fancy chase after all.

I did not give them a chance to stop and pile out of their car, but took off down the alley, past the store workers body, and ran down the alley toward the connecting street. hopefully I could lose them in the maze of the city before making my way toward the woods at the opposite end of the town. I ran down the sidewalk of the street from which the alley opened up, and then crossed the empty street to the opposite side.

Why didn't I duck into the woods immediately...I'll never know. My only thought was to get free of any pursuers, and maybe by allowing themselves to get tangled up in town, they wouldn't follow me into the woods. So I continued to move through the streets, making sure that it was clear of any people before I made a move.

I was about to go through another alley when I heard the siren, and another cop car swerved onto this road. I didn't know if this one was the same or a another one, but I immediately bolted once more, attempting to lose it. I was at one end of the alley when another car pulled up to block that escape. I swore to all damnation at my really lousy luck since grabbing those damn keys from that worker.

"Hands in the air! Drop the weapon and put your hands in the air!" I heard a copper bark, and I do mean literally. It sounded like dog barking, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"You sound like some dog barking dude! That's actually kind of funny!" I laughed again.

"I said put the weapon on the ground and put your freaking hands where I can see them!" the cop snarled again, and this time, it didn't sound as warm as it did last time. Though it wasn't warm the first time anyway.

I lifted my weapon, the nightstick slowly to the ground. But I would be damned if these bastards would be taking me without a fight. I slowly raised my hands, and the cops slowly approached me, guns raised, as if an unarmed man was a threat to about four coppers with guns. Well, they were cops...and so I was a huge threat...

When the first cop approached within striking distance, I lashed out and swept his gun away. He let out a startled cry and I gave him a chop to his neck, sending him into a choking fit. I was just about to give him another good flap when something hit me and an unbearable pain shot through my body. I felt my muscles instantly clench, and I let out a loud grunt of pain as I fell to the ground. The world around me slowly grew dark, and I blacked out completely...

-0-

Sheriff David Burrows walked down the hall of the cell block, his feet making echoes as he walked. His mind wondered just what to ask this strange boy that had taken down three of his officers in span of five minutes, and he couldn't come up with a straight plan. He growled in annoyance at himself.

_Just stick to the book_, he thought to himself. If nothing came to mind by the time he reached the boy's cell, he would just start with the basic questions. Nothing at all difficult about that, now was there?

He reached the cell of the boy, to find him sleeping on the cot of it. He had been given a medical examination by the department medic, and had been declared fit to be sent directly to the station, rather than the hospital. Three of his officers were in the hospital now though, and the sheriff wanted answers. Burrows raised his clip and began to examine the necessary information. It was very basic info, such as name and motivation, evidence for the judge to give his sentence.

He looked at the boy again. He was a slimmer muscled youth of an estimated 5'7. He had mid-neck sandy blond hair and seemed light blue eyes. He had slight acne on his forehead, probably due to the fact that he seemed to have not had a bath or bathed regularly. He noted all the physical description he could before he rapped upon the bars of the cell, in an attempt to awaken the sleeping boy.

"Wakey, wakey little sleepy-head. You have got some questions to answer boy. And we have got some news for you."

The boy stirred slightly, and then did not move again. Burrows growled and smacked the bars again.

"I said _get up_!"

The boy suddenly turned and smiled at him, as if he had just heard exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I hear ya' dude, I hear ya'. No need to get all grouchy."

"I have some questions for you. You will answer them straight and to the point. What is your name?"

"What's yours?"

"I asked you for your name boy!"

"And I will gladly tell you, oh kind sir, if you will tell me yours."

Burrows snarled, but relented.

"Sheriff David Burrows. Now what is your name?"

The boy grinned and looked nonchalant.

"Einar. Einar Geirodd."

The sheriff blinked in surprise.

"What kind of name is that?" he asked, breaking the tough sheriff mentality for a moment.

"What kind of a name is Burrows? What, do ya' crawl into a hole when your scared?" the boy shot back, a smile on his face. Burrows felt a pitch of anger, but maintained composure. Criminals, regardless of age, liked to get under your skin. He had to stay focused.

"Well, Mr. Geirodd, you are in a spot of trouble. We have three officers down due to your actions, plus you ran from police. Do you have any reasons for this?"

The boy shrugged.

"They were going to attack me. I only attacked them first."

Burrows did not respond, for he sensed it would be useless. He simply wrote on his clipboard and then turned back to the boy.

"Why were you in the grocery store?"

"I was hungry."

"Why didn't you just go in and buy some?"

"I don't exactly carry money on me."

"There are places for you to go if you are homeless you know."

"Whatever..."

Burrows had had enough. He had his information and then gave the news to the kid.

"You will be seeing a federal judge in two days. Have a fun time in there..."

"Swell..."

Burrows walked off, wondering just what the hell was in kids these days. Being able to take down three officers? Something was really amiss here...

-0-

_Well, is this not the best thing in the world? A cop just had to go and taser me, and now I am stuck in this dump of a station, with none of my equipment, and being watched by these cameras 24/7! _

I snarled audibly at the emotions of embarrassment running through me. This was bullshit, just plain bullshit! If I had been granted just one extra minute, then I knew I could have outrun those damn cops. But fate seemed to have been against me ever since I knocked that poor kid out. I wondered if he was okay and recovering, and I cursed the police I bashed all to hell.

_Okay, time for an inventory check. I have on my person...absolutely nothing. There is a cot and a toilet here, and the bars are solid as a rock. In other words...there is now way out of this joint. I am just gonna have to find a way out when I get sent to wherever they send me, whatever the hell that will be._

I walked over and slammed my fists into the bars in pure frustration. The sound echoed through out the area, and a gruff voice shouted out from somewhere.

"Hey, would you keep it down! Some of us are trying to sleep here!"

"Bite me!" I shouted back.

"What'd you say to me? I'll bust you up little man!" the voice called again.

"And just how do you intend to do that when your locked up in these cells big shot!" I shouted.

The voice shut up after that. I paced my cell several times before collapsing on my cot, in a desperate attempt to get a little more sleep before anything else happened...

-Two Days Later-

I was ready to get out of this place. I'd have rather they stripped me of my gear and then thrown me back into the wild. I could have simply started over, but this should be listed under cruel and unusual punishment. The food was repulsive, the guards were assholes, and it was hot enough to feel like I was standing in the Sahara. I asked a guard to lower the temperature, and he only replied that it was a comfortable seventy degrees. comfortable my ass!

I paced in an unending circle, my energy being spent cooped up in something so small. I sometimes bashed against the bars to relive my anger, but this resulted in guards coming by and threatening to taser me once more if I did so. One actually got his out and pointed it at me, and I stopped doing that, since I could see the seriousness in his cold, brutal eyes.

And so there I was, waiting to be judged for what I saw as simple self-defense, and to be sent to some prison. Oh how life had smiled upon me with her big pearly white teeth that I just wanted to punch right out...

Finally several guards came by and told me to back away from my cell entrance. I slowly obeyed and they entered. I growled as they put me in hand-cuffs and then allowed them to walk me down several hallways to another building attached to the station. I was told to wait on a bench outside the room, and as I waited, several men in orange jumpsuits left the room. They sneered at me as they passed, but the guards holding them urged them on forcefully.

I was finally called in, and I saw that there were very few people in the courtroom. Only several groups in several rows of seats, probably being the family of the cops I busted up. I saw the judge and he made me smile, for he looked like a complete nerd that had been splashed with white pain. Extremely dorky glasses hung off his nose.

I was bade to stand before him, and I stood there, actually chuckling to myself as I did, because this guy really was very geeky. He looked at me with beady eyes, and when he spoke, he sounded...well, dorky as he looked.

"So, Mr. Einar Geirodd, you stand accused of attacking several police officers and thievery. Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence?"

"Yes I do actually...you might want to buy better glasses, as those make you look like you could get HD reception through them."

The man's eyes widened slightly and then he sighed.

"Very well. I have been approached by a certain individual who thinks he might have a better alternative than prison. He runs a delivery service that is reputed to be very disciplined. He suggested that he could make use of a strong young man for his business."

"Oh, I am flattered," I muttered sarcastically.

"I sentence you to his care, until such time that he feels you have repaid your debt to society," he then slammed the hammer down and the guards dragged me outside.

"We are going to release you to him out in the parking lot. Don't you dare make a move when we take these cuffs off," one of them hissed. I simply rolled my eyes and allowed them to take me outside, where a van with Delphi Strawberry Service painted upon it. A man sat in a wheelchair in front of it. Another one with what looked like closed eyes tattooed all over him was standing with his arms folded next to him. The cops dragged me in front of him and then undid the handcuffs. I rubbed my sore wrists and looked at the man in the wheelchair.

The "eyes tattoo" man did not bother me. I felt I could take him easily. But the man in the wheelchair actually sent a shock through my body, almost as if he could see right through me. He smiled, and I actually found that smile rather comforting, as though he gave a kind of fatherly aura. I looked back at the cops a little ways behind me, having stepped back but staying close.

"You need not do that. We can manage him from here, thank you," the man in the wheelchair said to the police. One of them fidgeted.

"He is kind of dangerous sir," one of them replied.

"Oh we can manage. My associate here is quite capable," the wheelchair man said, indicating the man with the eye tattoos.

The cops slowly left, keeping an eye on us until the last second. I kept my gaze staring right back, not breaking eye contact with them until they were within the facility. I slowly turned to regard the two in front of me. I could not help but allow a smile to cross my face.

"I'll give you two credit, you guys are pretty brave to just let me free."

"Why do you say that?" wheelchair man asked.

"I could knock you both out and be out of here in seconds. And I won't be making the mistake of letting those pigs back there catch me again."

The man in the wheelchair chuckled. Tattoo man actually grinned slightly as well and flexed his muscles, allowing them to ripple across his body. I was not the least bit intimidated. I had seen harsher looks then this.

"I'm afraid your skills, as commendable as they are, would not enable you to get away from us, at least not at this time. I promise that you will not come to harm with us, Einar. We are going to take you to a safe place."

"Safe?"

"Yes, safe. Please get in the van."

I eyed the van before slowly walking over and opening the door. Wheelchair man got in via lift in the back, and the tattoo guy entered the driver seat and started the van. In the back, wheelchair man smiled t me with those warm smiles again, and though I did not allow myself to show it, I felt another fatherly feeling in my gut.

"I think you might want to know that the judge was a little misinformed as to the nature of where we are taking you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, apprehension rising. The man seemed to detect my sudden scare...no, apprehension...and smiled again.

"You do not need to be afraid of us, Einar. We are taking you somewhere were you can be safe from the world, until you are ready for the challenges ahead of you."

I scoffed.

"I have been surviving on my own in the wild for about five years now. I think I can manage."

Wheelchair man nodded, as though he had heard this argument before.

"Einar, many have said those exact words. And many of them are now dead. Do not fall into hubris. It is the bane of heroes."

"I ain't no hero..."

"Yes you are...you just do not know it yet..."

I snorted and shook my head in disbelief. The wheelchair man stroked his brown beard in thought.

"I do not believe I have introduced myself."

"No, I do not believe you have."

"My name is Chiron."

I thought for a second, then shrugged.

"Well...nice to meet you I guess."

Chiron seemed surprised at my reaction. It was as if he was expecting a different response. He leaned in closer to me and talked in a low voice.

"You do not recognize the name?"

"Nope."

He leaned back and nodded slowly, as if this was something new to him. He was silent for the rest of the trip, until I noticed something.

"Hey, tattoo man! Could you get the air conditioner a little higher please! I'm sweating bullets back here!" Chiron looked at me in wonder.

"I am personally freezing my tail off. Are you sure you are not cold?"

"I never get cold. I don't know why man, but I never have felt cold at all truly...wait a minute, did you say 'tail'?"

Chiron grinned.

"You'll see soon enough."

I decided not to push it. The van drove out of the town and down the countryside highways. Soon it turned off onto some lesser traveled roads bordering large forests. The frost gave the trees a nice silvery touch, and I found that I still loved that personal touch. The icy frost was always a home to me, and I wished I could go outside and feel the loving cold air. But the van pulled up to some strange track of road, and then pulled over to the side of it. The tattoo man killed the engine, and then stepped out, opening the door for me.

"Thanks eyes," I said, and he seemed surprised by my sudden nickname. Chiron was soon let off of the ramp in the back, and eye guy then went back into the van, turned on the engine and proceeded to leave us there. I stared at him in shock, wodering just what the hell happened.

"Uh, is it just me, or did he just abandon us?"

"Oh, the place is just out of sight over here, come follow me," Chiron said, and he proceeded to roll himself up the hills. I decided to give the poor guy a hand and took the wheels, helping to push him. He smiled at me in thanks and directed us over the hill. When we came to the top of it, I stopped, looking in awe of the sight ahead of me.

It looked like a camp of some sorts had been set up within the valley below us. I couldn't make out any real details this far away, but it seemed like it was rather large, with multiple areas for what seemed like different sports or such things. I looked at Chiron, one eyebrow raised. He looked back at me and smiled.

"Einar Geirodd, welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure...thanks," I said. Camp Half-Blood? Just what kind of name for a camp was that?

**Well, I hope you all have enjoyed this first chapter. Please review and I will work on the next as soon as I can.**


	2. The NotSoRightFoot

Chapter 2: The Not-So-Right Foot

I stared in shock at the camp from a distance, wondering just how something like a strawberry gathering place could be the size of something like this. I saw various cabins and places where the dim forms of people did things I could not see. I saw several larger buildings and multiple shed like structures. I looked farther and saw what had to be the strawberry fields, but there were also long tracks of...well, I did not know from this far out. I saw a large circular track as well, almost like a race track. Chiron saw my expression and chuckled.

"You seem shocked. Well, this is a standard reaction."

"This...this is the strawberry place?" I asked, still dumbstruck.

"No, this is Camp-Half Blood."

"I thought it was this 'Delphi Strawberry Service'?"

"That is only our cover. We are actually camp for, well, special kids. Such as yourself."

I snorted and began to push him toward the camp. Chiron raised his hand and signaled me to stop. I stopped pushing him and looked at him in annoyance.

"You wanna just roll yourself down with momentum?" I asked.

"Your assistance is no longer needed, as we are now out of sight of the mortals. Brace yourself Einar, for this is usually very creepy to people the first time they see it..."

My eyes widened in shock. He wouldn't dare!

"Hey, keep it in your pants!" I shouted. He looked at me in confusion, and I backed up several feet.

"Pardon me?" he asked, maintaining politeness.

"I said keep it in your pants man! I don't want to see that thing hangin'!"

Chiron looked at me as if I were possessed, and then grumbled as the realization came over him.

"Einar, I am not going to be getting nude in any way. I am going to show you myself in my natural state."

"The _natural_ state is usually in _all your glory_."

"No Einar. I am going to show you my true...form, so to speak."

I maintained an alert posture as he began to sit up in his seat. I thought he was going to throw himself out and probably crawl down the hill, but his body kept expanding as he pushed, and finally something seemed to be coming out of his chair. Either I was hallucinating, or this guy was some kind of mutant freak with what looked like a...horse for a lower body.

I thought I had seen some very freaky things in my time running around the world. You see things many people would not see when you roam the world in the woods and the streets, though not when I can help it. People are some seriously messed up folks, and I saw things that would give a younger kid nightmares for years if I had not been accustomed to what it was before. But what I was seeing before me now was taking the cake, and then smashing it against the ground and jumping on it.

Chiron (really weird name...) was half horse. Not like some weird dude who played the back end of a horse puppet with someone else in the front, but half-horse as in his rear end was the rear end of a horse while still maintaining the upper body of a man. I stood rooted to the ground on which I stood, staring at the sight before me, and trying to force an uncooperative brain to process it. I was failing, miserably. I could only stare.

Chiron watched me looking back at him for a moment and trotted, yes trotted, over to my position, where I continued to stare. It was probably silly, but really, a guy just revealed himself to be some freaky half-horse mutant hybrid. This was just not something you saw everyday. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words could describe just how weird this was. He laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Many people find this disturbing at first. Do not worry though, you will grow used to it over time."

"Your a horse..."

"I am actually a centaur, thank you very much."

"But your...your...a _horse_!"

"No, I am a _centaur_. I assure you there is quite a difference."

"Sure..."

Chiron shook his head.

"Don't you know what a centaur is?" he asked.

"A what now?" I asked, the power of this revelation finally wearing off.

"A centaur. We are quite common in myths these days. Have you not heard of them?"

I shook my head. I had not really read anything mythological, only things I managed to nick out of libraries and read, and I picked books on survival, not story books with monsters and dragons. So no, I had never before heard of any half-horse half-human mutant.

Chiron seemed to sense my lack of knowledge in that department, and gave me a smile.

"Don't worry, we will help to inform you. Now let's get down and meet the other campers."

We began to walk down the hill toward the camp. The first thing I noticed was that the pleasant feeling of the frost was disappearing, and I tried to hide my lack of comfort from Chiron. The pleasant air...well, for him anyways...was playing havoc on me and I hoped he did not notice how bad I was sweating. I might want to find an icy cool stream or body of water for a "cool down" session if I survive that long.

As we continued our trek toward the mysterious camp I noticed something around a large tree just past the road we would have to take. I didn't think much of it, thinking it could possibly be part of the tree or a trick of the light. But that was before I saw it move and seem to rear it's head up to look at us, and then focus directly on me!

It was like a large serpent with wings. It was coiled around the tree, which I now noticed had a strange golden blanket-like thing draped over a branch. It seemed to growl at me as I stopped in my tracks, instinctively reaching for weapons that were no longer there. Not that I thought that a bow that fired arrows of stone and a survival knife would effect that thing!

"What...the...hell...is that!" I said slowly, pointing at the thing.

Chiron stopped as well and turned to regard the thing around the tree, then turned to give me a knowing smile.

"That is only Peleus, the guard dragon."

"Guard..._dragon_?"

"Yes Einar, a dragon."

"Dragon?"

"Yes."

_"Dragon..."_

"Yes, Einar, a dragon. They are powerful creatures that are very difficult to defeat and are very good at guarding valuable objects and artifacts. Now, he will not attack you if you are by me. He will eventually get used to you and you will be free to pass by him later on. But for now, may we please continue and get you settled? I do not have a large abundance of time."

I nodded and slowly kept following him, but my eyes did not dare leave that dragon. Even when I stumbled and Chiron told me to watch my step, my eyes were on that big ass lizard until I was a good hundreds yards past it. And then I had reached the edge of the camp, and I noticed something very...peculiar...about it.

I had been to one renaissance fair in my time alone. I sneaked in during one of the more crowded moments, allowing me to avoid security. I actually had a lot of fun there, and was able to win an archery contest that had been set up. Though I avoided questions of how I got as good as that, because I really couldn't answer them. Blind luck may very well have something to do with it though.

This resembled that very closely, though it struck me as a kind of recreation of what things would have been like in even older times. I wondered just what kind of place this was, and I looked up to see an arch of sorts with strange writing upon it. I couldn't read what was on it, and it looked like some jumbled English or some type of writing someone would write if they were drunk and blindfolded. I scratched my head as I tried to read it, and eventually gave up, Chiron having trotted past me while I tried. I was going to have to get used to his "ass of a horse" really fast.

We passed several structures, and I noticed that the kids about my age and some older and younger were mostly wearing some type of orange T-shirts. They had the words "Camp Half-Blood" stenciled on them and ran around with various objects. Some carried swords and bows, while others seemed to be doing manual labor for other people. I kept following Mr. "Horse Ass" Chiron, who led me to a large building of sorts, where a man in a Hawaiian themed shirt was sitting in a chair, sipping a drink of some kind.

I laughed at this and the man narrowed his eyes at me. He looked at me with a certain scrutiny, as if he sensed something about me that I was not aware of. Was my shoe untied? Was my hair to untidy for his taste? I did not know but he looked at Chiron and sighed as if bored.

"Another one Chiron? How many more campers are we going to be getting?"

"Since the gods began to claim their children more often and with the entrance of the children of the minor gods, you know that we are getting more and more Mr. D."

Mr. D (what kind of name is that?) sighed again. Then he looked at me in earnest, and seemed to think I was some sort of bug, so disdainfully he looked. I got the incredible urge to punch him right in the face, and probably would have, if Chiron had not put his hand on my shoulder, as if sensing what I was thinking.

"And just what is your name, little one? You seem like some rat off the streets."

_What did he just call me!_

"This is Einar Geirodd. He is a newcomer. We sort of convinced the courts to allow him into our custody."

"Ah, a little troublemaker, well, you young man, would do very well to behave yourself here. We have ways of dealing with troublemakers."

My temper was still up from him calling me a rat. Like I chose this life! The world made me what I am, damnit!

"And just what would those be fatty?" I asked.

Chiron's head jerked up and he stood ramrod straight. Mr. D's eyes raised and he glared at me like I was someone who had just called his mother a whore and spit on his grandmother's grave. He looked at me and seemed to focus at me, and in that moment, I felt a burning sensation race through me. I collapsed and whimpered, so powerful the pain. I grit my teeth and forbid myself from screaming, even though this strange new pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Mr. D smirked at my agony.

"And that is what will happen if I hear that smart mouth call me such things again, do I make myself clear, young man?"

I grit my teeth against whatever he was doing to me. If I could just get on second of an opening, I would be determined to snap his fat neck and get a little payback. I did not make a loud sound. Mr. D seemed to roll his eyes and focus on me more, and the burning increased. I swore I could see smoke starting to come out of my skin, almost as if I were about to burst into flames.

"Mr. D I think that that is quite enough. I'm sure he has learned his lesson," I heard Chiron speak. Mr. D nodded and the pain suddenly vanished. I stood up shakily, but kept my defiant glare.

"I hope that convinces you not to speak to me in such a manner, Mr..." he looked at me expectantly. I did not answer, for I was seriously pissed off at the moment. It is not everyday that someone makes you feel and think you are being set on fire from within, and I was not happy about it. Chiron was quick to remedy the situation.

"His name is Einar Geirodd, and he will be staying with us Mr. D."

"Is that your real name?" I asked out of habit.

He looked surprised.

"Why no, Mr Geirodd, it is not. And if I might ask, what kind of a name is Geirodd?'

_That is the second time that has been asked in the past several hours...is it really that strange of a name?_

"It's the name I was given."

"By whom, may I ask?" Mr. D said.

"That is my own business, whomever you are."

Chiron wrapped his hand around my shoulder, this time as if to get me away from the guy. I did not care, as I probably needed to get away from him. Mr. D gave me a final look.

"I would watch my tone around me if you ever speak to me again, Mr. Geirodd."

_As if I am going to be speaking to you again after this one, whatever the hell you are..._

Chiron led me away from him and did not remove his arm until we were a good hundred feet away. He continued walking into what seemed like a cabin area, with many of them flanking a huge fire pit.

"Einar, you should watch what you say around Mr. D. He is a very powerful being."

"What do you mean powerful being? He seems like a fat slob."

"So I trust that little jolt of burning he gave you did not get through to you?"

I shrugged.

"I thought it was weird..."

"He was trying to disintegrate you."

"Disintegrate me?"

"Yes. He has that ability, with the powers of someone like him."

"And just what is 'something like him'?"

"A god..."

I stopped in my tracks. _A what now? _Chiron seemed to notice my confusion.

"Einar, this may sound rather strange to hear this, but the gods you might have heard about exist."

"Huh?"

"The gods, Einar. More precisely, the gods of Mount Olympus. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades and the like."

"Who are they?" I asked. I had never heard of a mount Olympus before, nor any god beside the ones Christians, Jews, and Muslims proclaim and preach about. I never really felt any connection to that god, and that one was the only one I had heard about.

"They are the gods of Olympus. They have been watching over Western Civilization for thousands of years, and now reside over America, as it is the heart of the west."

"Dude, you lost me about five words into that."

Chiron sighed and shook his head.

"I can see that this is probably going to be more difficult than I thought. Very well, you will learn eventually.

"Whatever dude."

"Now to get you settled."

He led me toward one of the cabins. It was low and had a faded color of what might possibly have once been brown, and it looked almost as if it were about to topple in upon itself. A strange symbol was hanging over the door, and I slowly followed Chiron to the entrance.

"You will be staying here until tonight, where we will see if you have gotten a claim from your parent. All gods are suppose to claim their children by the time they have turned thirteen. Have you ever had a s strange symbol seem to burn above you head for a moment ever during your life?"

I shook my head. That almost sounded funny actually.

"Not exactly sure how I would recognize that..."

"It is like a symbol burned into the air above your head. You should have received one by now, as the gods promise to recognize their children was made several months ago. Did you see any such symbol?"

I shook my head. I didn't think I would _not_ notice a strange symbol floating in the air above me. Something like that had to be somewhat noticeable, right? I shook me head again in wonder and thought. Then I turned to see that the cabin door had been opened and a young man about my age was standing in the entryway. He looked at me with cheerful brown eyes and a wide smile, staring at me from mischievous eyes.

"Hey there! What do we have here!"

I turned to Chiron and raised an eyebrow at the guy's attitude, which was striking me as a little too..cheerful. It was not really a bad thing, but when someone comes right out at you exclaiming what he just said, I tend to get just a little nervous around them at the start. Chiron just chuckled at my face though, and goaded me inside. I was still reluctant to simply waltz right into a small cabin with someone I did not know, but Chiron gave me a nudge and I slowly walked inside, not turning my back on the guy in front of me.

"Oh, you don't need to be like that! We aren't gonna do anything to ya' here. Someone might "borrow" your stuff for a while, possibly without asking, but that is the extent of what will happen. I promise!"

"That's enough for me," I said in a warning tone. Survival sometimes depended on having your supplies and gear ready at a moment's notice, and if someone dared try to use any of my stuff, or worse, take it without first having my express permission, there would be dire consequences. First off, the guy taking my stuff would not draw another breathe without the use of some hardcore machinery. The guy seemed to sense my sudden wariness and slowly raised his hands.

"Peace man, as I said, nobody is here to attack you or anything."

I slowly nodded. Chiron chuckled again. I swear that half-horses ass could laugh if the very Earth itself was blowing up around him.

"You seem to have a feisty one on your hands here. Worry not Connor, we will try to find his Olympian parent soon. Until then, I am sure you and your brother could handle him."

"Of course, sir."

"Very well. Einar, meet me back at the Main building before dinner for your schedule. I sense that you will need plenty of instruction to get you up to speed."

"Whatever..."

"Very well. Good day then," with that, the horse guy trotted off, and I was left with a cabin full of strangers. Oh how life could be so wonderful...NOT.

-Three Hours Later-

Okay, I am about to go insane.

Not just simply insane. I am about to go insanely ballistic and probably end up thoroughly gutting some poor campers. This cabin if freaking nuts. I mean, seriously, I have had to make sure someone did not even steal my sleeping bag, let alone any of the other things I have in my possession. Just who finds a pillow or roll of toilet paper worth stealing? _Come on!_

The folks were nice enough, but this constant, almost primal urge they have to nick the possessions of things that do not belong to themselves may result in some rather nasty moments in a bit. They seemed for the moment to have realized that I was not exactly fond of having my things taken, and so I actually had some nice space to myself in this otherwise crowded and hectic cabin. Just a few hours ago, I had never before been somewhere in such cramped spaces, with so many urchins and people my approximate age running around. And now look at me.

Connor Stoll, the guy who greeted me, walked up. I braced myself for a thievery attempt, but he simply delivered a message.

"Well, it's time for you to go get your schedule from Chiron. He'll be on the porch of the Big House."

I got up to leave, glancing at my stuff.

"Don't worry, nobody will try to steal it. On my honor."

_Thieves don't have honor..._

I left the cabin and trudged back toward the "Big House". Campers passed me along the way, giving me looks that I really could not decipher. IU saw some welcoming, some not so welcoming. Some would smile, while others would sneer and give me threatening gestures. I tried to look nonchalant as I walked past some of them, but the ways they were acting gave me pause for some of them.

"Hey there, new kid!"

_Shit..._

I turned to see three buff guys about my age walk towards me. They were some of the most brutal looking guys I had ever seen, almost as if they had walked out of a torture chamber from some dictators palace. They had the most evil grins that I had ever seen before, and I had seen the smiles of some pretty unscrupulous people. They were unarmed, but the bulging muscles did not bode well for me if their intentions were sincerely what I believed them to be. I had no choice but to await for them, and stand tall and defiant as they approached.

I was not overconfident though...

"So, you be that newbie huh?" one of them asked. He had several scars along his face and was probably missing some teeth, if those gaps in his mouth were anything serious.

"Yeah, I guess that's me."

"Well, ya' see, we have a little way of welcoming newbies. So, are you going to come quietly or are we going to have to manhandle ya'?"

I made a show of thinking for a moment, and then smirked.

"How about this? If you so much as lay a finger on me, I will systematically pull off each of your limbs and shove them up the orifices of your choice. Would that be better? Cause' I think so."

The three made smirks as I spoke. Obviously they were hoping for a response like this.

"Well, I guess we will just have to do this the hard way then."

He made a move to grab me.

Now, living on the streets and the wilds can teach you some things. I well remember being beaten by older people during the days I lived outside civilization. And in those situations, you either learn to fight, or you quite simply die. It was all a big fight for survival, and so when these thugs were reaching for me to take me god knows where to do god knows what to me, I acted.

I reached forward as fast as I could and quickly grasped the boy's outreached hand. I tightened my grip and before he could react I violently twisted it, hearing the snap of his wrist. He screamed and fell to his knees, grasping his injured joint. His buddies were quick to react though.

The first one grabbed slammed himself forward and shoulder-butted me in the chest. I was forced back and the other delivered a sharp blow to my gut, which doubled me over. He leaned back and laughed at my pain, and this seemed to awaken something in me, something I could not explain.

The moment that I recovered, I immediately lashed forward, my own speed surprising me, and the laughing camper was struck at the neck. He gasped at the sensation, and I took the moment to make my fist connect with a rather harsh touch to his jaw. His head was forced upward at the blow, and he fell to the ground, eyes blackening.

The other seemed wary of me now, and gave me several cautious blows to my upper body, to which I felt surprised to be easily blocking. A strange urge was ripping through me now, almost a primal force giving me strength. I did not know what it was, but the adrenaline never tasted so sweet, and for some reason I seemed to enjoy fighting, almost as if this were a game.

I blocked one of the blows and gave him a fierce elbow to the face, which broke his nose and sent him back. The I kicked my foot forward and smacked him in the chest, which, to my surprise, thrust him to the ground. I stood there panting, for the event seemed to only last about ten seconds at the most. I savored the strength that seemed to have filled me, the speed and power. For some reason I felt different than I have ever felt before. The fight made me feel like I was...unstoppable. But that feeling would only last so long before another attacked was racing toward me.

This one was different than the others. First off, it was a girl. She had long brown hair that flowed in an almost fierce way from her head. He eyes were ablaze with danger, and she had an expression that would almost send Navy SEALs running for momma. But the one thing I noticed about her most of all was the strange red glow she seemed to have about her, but I did not think much of it with her racing toward me. She stopped just a bit away from me, and seemed to be trying to win a brief staring match. But with this strange new battle feeling running through me, I was not even fazed by her viscous appearance.

"And just where do you get off on beating children of Ares!" she yelled at me. I raised an eyebrow, something I had been doing a lot of lately.

"Say what now?"

"Ares! Those were sons of Ares, the god of war as well as my father! And you actually had the gall to beat them!"

"They were going to do something to me..." I muttered. She stared at me for a while, and then a grin appeared on her face.

"Well, if you are so pumped up for a fight, then how about we have a go?"

Now I was not looking for a fight in the first place. All I had set out to do was get some schedule from that horse guy. But now three guys jump me and I beat the holy crap out of them, using strength and speed that I just now seemed to notice. And then this chick just runs up and tries to beat me up? Then picks a fight with me on top of that? I really could not believe the extreme amount of sheer luck I was having today...which was one of the biggest oxymoron ever.

Something about her screamed danger, and that red glowing aura thing that seemed to come from her was giving off warning cues as well. But that feeling I had was one of sudden power and I felt actually confident standing before this strange girl. I could not help but flash a grin, and I took a fighting stance.

"Ready when you are, babe."

Her eyes widened at my "babe" comment, and she screamed a battle cry as she charged forward, swinging her fist to meet the side of my face. I raised my arm and blocked in the nick of time...quite literally the nick of time.

She jumped back and delivered a kick to my chest, which put me down. I was forced to roll before she stomped on my midsection. I jumped up to my feet just to get a blow to the side of my head, which made me think I was seeing Tweety the bird flapping around my head. Something like that is really distracting when trying to fight a psycho-bitch.

I put some distance between us and began to lash out at her with all the force and speed I could bring. But she seemed almost superhuman in her movements, able to block and attack me almost effortlessly. I took several more blows before I gasped in pain, the only showing of weakness I had shown for several years. She seemed encouraged by that and advanced again. I made several more viscous attacks against her, aiming for any part of her body that I though I could get a blow in. But her hands were almost invisible with the speed she was blocking me with. Her eyes burned with amusement, and I saw her reel back and swing forward.

I felt her fist connect with my head, and I fell to the ground. Looking up, I saw her standing above me, smiling. Then she lifted her foot and brought it violently upon my face.

The lights were turned off for me right then and there...

-0-

_Huh? Where am I? I am lying somewhere? Where is "somewhere"? What is happening?_

I felt feeling slowly coming back to myself. I strained to open my eyes, and found that to be a little painful. I tried opening my mouth, but found that painful as well.

"Well, I see you have awoken..."

I finally forced my eyes open, and saw Chiron the half-horse mutant standing before my bed. He looked down on me with pitying eyes, and stroked his beard in thought.

"You were quite foolish to challenge Clarisse to a fight. SHe possesses the blessing of Ares, her father."

"Ares?"

"The god of war."

I grunted in pain as I tried to sit up. Chiron waved me down.

"You took quite a beating there. It will be at least a day before you are fully recovered. For now, just rest. We will attend to your schedule tomorrow."

"Sure..."

He left with no further word. I leaned down on my pillow and allowed my pain-filled eyes to close.

_Just what the hell have I gotten myself into?_

-0-

"Well, you're the new guy?"

I opened my eyes to see someone standing next to my bed. I was surprised that the pain was much reduced, though still a hindrance. I examined the boy standing next to me. He had strange sea green eyes, and black hair. He wore the same orange T-shirt that seemed standard in this mad house, and he had a cocky grin on his face...

To be honest...he seemed to have the "face that must be punched" look.

"And who are you?" I asked, wary of the goody-two-shoes feeling I was getting off of him.

"Percy."

"Do you like watching other people sleep?" I asked.

Huh?"

"Well, you were standing there and obviously watching me sleep. So did you see anything you like?" I asked in a deliberately threatening tone.

"No I...I was just checking on you..."

"Good..."

He was holding a cup of something strange. It looked like a kind of liquid, and he held it up to me.

"Here, drink some of this. It'll help with your injuries."

Usually I would be wary if someone offered me a drink of something that I did not know of. But the fact that it would get rid of the now monstrous headache I was now having was too much. I reached forward and took the cup from his hand and sniffed it. I did not detect anything repulsive, and slowly brought the cup up to my lips. I took a small sip, but realized that I would have to take a bigger drink to really taste it. And so I did...and instantly regretted it.

It tasted utterly horrendous. Like vomit and urine mixed into one. I gagged and spit it out, covering Percy. He made a sound of disgust and then looked at me in confusion. I set the drink down and scowled.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I asked, my voice higher than usual. He stared at me dumbstruck.

"Wha...why did..."

"Why did I spit it out? Because it tasted like shit! Seriously, I am thinking you actually tried to poison me. That stuff was terrible. What is it?"

"Its Nectar...the drink of the gods..."

"Well, these gods of yours sure have terrible taste buds...or none at all if they can drink that crap..."

"I don't get it...why can't you drink it?" he seemed to be talking to himself.

"Did you not hear me Perky? It tasted terrible!"

"My name is Percy Jackson...and I gotta tell Chiron about this..." he left the infirmary without a further word. I laid back on my bed. trying to ignore the terrible aftertaste. I was drenched in sweat, and if there were somebody in here, I would ask for some water. I had been sweating bullets ever since I stepped into this damn camp. Just how hot was it here?

I was twisting and turning for hours on end until...until it seemed that the pain from my battle injuries was gone. I opened my eyes for the first time completely without pain, and I slowly raised myself up. I moved each of my arms and legs in turn, bended each joint. No more pain. For some reason, I felt better, much faster than I thought I would recover. I could not help but grin in amazement.

I swung my legs over the side and slowly stood up...no pain. I began to walk toward the entrance to this "medical building", and opened the door to step out. To my relief, it was nighttime, and the air was much cooler. I breathed in the cool air, and stood basking in the momentary coolness upon my skin. It was the first relief that I had felt since coming here.

I was walking around, almost randomly, when a commanding voice called my name.

"Einar, what are you doing outside. You are suppose to be resting in the infirmary!"

I turned to see the horse man Chiron galloping toward me. I was shocked at how fast that horse could gallop, as he was upon me in an instant. I back away slightly from him, for he was extremely close, extremely fast. He looked at me with an expression of curiosity, something I had been getting a lot of lately.

"Mr. Jackson says that the you were repulsed by the taste of the nectar? Is that true?"

"You mean that stuff he tried to make me drink?"

Chiron nodded.

"Yeah, it tasted like shit."

"Watch your mouth young man. It is suppose to taste like your favorite food. So why were you repulsed by it so badly?"

"My favorite food is not shit..."

"I said watch your mouth!"

"My bad..."

"Anyway, go back to your cabin, as you are clearly recovered from your beating. How you were able to recover so fast without the aid of the nectar is beyond me for the moment, but I will find out later. Until then, go."

"Sure thing...whatever you are!"

"I am a centaur!"

"Whatever..." I said with a grin, and then began to walk back, leaving Chiron to gaze at me as I walked off.

As I approached the cabins, people gave me looks of pity. I did not like that. No one had ever looked at me with pity before, though some were looking at me with astonishment, almost as if my strange, rapid recovery was beyond them. That was better. The more people were afraid of me, then the less likely that I will be messed with in the future. I opened the door to my cabin to find them engaged in their various activities. My stuff had not been touched...as far as I could tell.

Connor was there to greet me.

"Hey, your back! We heard Clarisse beat you down pretty bad back there."

"Is that that bitch's name?" I asked, suddenly infuriate. I had rarely ever tasted defeat before...

"Yeah. She is one of the best fighters we got here. She has her father's blessing. He is the war god, so that means something."

"So I have been told..." I said. Connor shook his head and walked off, muttering to himself. I sat on my sleeping bag, looking at them perform whatever they were doing, and I clenched my fist in anger. Clarisse would pay for this, I swore to myself. She would pay dearly...


	3. Fitting In

Chapter three: Fitting In

I woke up in sweat.

Well, that was not surprising considering that I had been sweating for quite a while now. Ever since I was taken out of my nice cold environment, and forced into whatever the hell this place was. Wait, "Camp Half-Blood" was what they called it. The camp where someone tried to kill you the moment your settled in. Oh, how wonderful the greeting was. Was that whole incident back there with those "Ares" campers the Camp way of welcoming newbies? I probably should have felt more honored.

But despite that, I had not stopped sweating. And it was something that was getting rather annoying if I should say so myself. How the hell did this place even have the ability to be warmer than the area around it? I had not stopped to think about it, and so I took the opportunity of being the only awake person in the cabin to ponder that exact thing. Was there some kind of climate control thing going on here? Did it by some chance have something to do with that fat guy who tried to burn me alive? Or did it have something to do with half-horse mutants? Oh..._centaurs_.

I did not think I was going to be getting any more sleep tonight. I had had a good long nap after that Clarisse bitch practically handed my head to me and then gave me the honor of shoving it up my own butt. How could she be so fast in their fight? I had never before seen anyone move as fast as she did. Was she some kind of supercharged ass kicking bitch from Hell? Or was she just some steroid abusing freak?

Besides...my sleeping bag looked and felt like someone had poured a drink all over it while I was sleeping. Only the fluid that soaked it was my own sweat, and it did not feel good to be laying in it right now. And since I was already up, I might as well take a shower and get something to drink. I had been losing a lot of fluids lately...

I slowly opened the door to my cabin, noticing that no one was around. I closed it slowly behind me and proceeded toward the place that Chiron had pointed out to me as the bathrooms where they had the showers. I grabbed a towel and entered, choosing the shower stall farthest from the door. As I turned the water as cold as I could get it to go, and allowed it to soak me, feeling the relief of the cold, and the sweat temporarily being washed from me. I stood there with my eyes closed for a long time, just feeling it, enjoying it.

After a while, I sensed that the time for the campers to awaken was nearing, how I did was beyond me. But I had always seemed to have a kind of sixth sense for sensing thing that I needed to, whether it was the best time to jump and run, or to cry and pretend to be some lost boy in order to gain a meal from a sympathetic grandma. I noticed that some of the more older people tended to be more sympathetic to the "lost boy" routine, and would slip me some nice morsels and try to call the authorities. Then I would slip away before they could return. It might have been underhanded, but I did what I could to keep the beast in my belly sated as much as I could.

I stood naked before the mirror, allowing myself to feel the last cold droplets fall down my body. My mind wandered over the past few years, as it often did in my quiet, personal moments. The rises and falls in my life coursed through my mind and the blood quickened in my veins at the memory of some of those who had wronged me in the past. The occasional bastard who took joy on ragging over the homeless. The protective woman who warned her children to stay away from "it". And the cops who attacked me, for even if I was breaking the law, survival overrode any law mankind ever made. Street ministers calling on me to be damned to Hell when I gave them the cold shoulder to their little rants about repentance and salvation.

I curled my fist up and allowed my emotions to briefly flare, as I stood before my reflection, a monster in my own mind...an outcast. I had no home. The only thing I ever trusted were my own wits and my skills, the skills that I seemed to have been born with. My handmade bow and arrows were my companions. The survival knife or two that I stole from a store was my family. I was free from those who sheltered themselves within loving homes and warmed themselves by the hearth or heater. So why did I see myself as a monster in that moment? Shit...I did not know. Maybe it was just a flare of the mind, a brief moment of self-hating. And in that instant, I let out a cry and flung my fist forward, determined to destroy the foul thing in front of me.

My fist connected with the glass of the mirror, shattering it with one mighty blow. I never really knew my own strength, and that came to pass now, as the mirror was virtually vaporized under the force of my blow. Glass flew around me, and some even smashed into the skin of my chest and maybe even my face, but I felt no pain, even from my now bleeding hand. I stood panting from my roar, and breathed deeply in and out, trying to calm the inferno of my heart. Why was I acting so hostile to anything at this moment? I still did not know. I probably would never know, but I would find out someday. I would find out why I never got cold when others were turning into a icicle. I would find out why I could hardly stand any warm weather, always sweating and feeling heat exhaustion from it.

I would find out why my instinct always seemed to be better and far sharper than those around me, allowing me to get away from most situations that others would freeze up at. And I would find out what made me such a fighter, if I could call myself that. Very few that attacked me ever succeed, as I always seemed either too fast or too strong for them. I didn't look like some buff warrior or anything. I was lean and muscular, but I did not look like I could lift three hundred pounds over my chest, or pull over double my body weight over a bar. Why? Why? WHY?

I slowly wet a towel and cleaned the blood off of my hand. Then I put on my clothes, which had thankfully dried of the sweat, and left the mess for the others. I never cared much for cleaning, since I was never in any one place for long. Let the others deal with it, it was their camp anyway. As I slowly walked out, hearing the strange sound of a horn in the distance, I shook my head at my recent act and thoughts.

"Damn...I've got some serious issues..."

-0-

Chiron "The Horse Guy" was standing...well, I guess you could call it that...outside my cabin, talking to someone within that I could not see. He seemed a little agitated as he spoke, and I was not really thrilled to be coming back with him like that. But instinct had said that I needed to get back to my cabin, and it had not failed me yet. So I obeyed, and found him there. Instinct can be a wonderful thing.

"Well, I see you are up bright and early. I see you took a shower."

"Yeah...is there something wrong with wanting to be clean?"

"Oh no, you are alright. But now I must inform you that there is a rule to those. Each cabin gets a certain time frame in which to shower. So next time, remember to take it with your cabin, and not yourself."

"So I am not allowed to shower when I choose to..."

Chiron sighed, probably trying to not make a big deal out of this.

"Unfortunately no. We really like to keep a schedule here, and choosing your own shower times generally disrupts the day's activities."

I could understand that. Sucky, but it made sense. Still pissed me off though.

"Now that that is clear, how about we go get your schedule for the next few weeks?" he turned and began to trot to the Big House, sure that I would follow. Which is what I did, as what else could I do anyway?

He entered, telling me to wait for a moment, and he emerged with a sheet of paper, with various classes and times. He handed it to me, and I took a look. I studied it for a moment, and kept my expression carefully neutral. Chiron seemed to be expecting me to comment, and when I did not do so, he inclined his head.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Your schedule."

"Oh, this thing. Well...I don't know if I can digest all this..."

"How so?"

"Because seriously, what kind of classes are these? Sword fighting, archery, _Greek_?"

"These are the classes you need to participate in if you wish to survive out there."

I scoffed. My pride was acting up again...

"I survived perfectly fine out there on my own, relying only upon my own gut feelings."

"You were fortunate Einar. Don't allow hubris to twist your mind into believing you can do anything. That has been the fatal flaw of many heroes, and it inevitably leads to their downfall. Don't be like them."

"I am not like them."

"No you are not. I have sensed something different about you since you entered this camp, but I can not quite place my finger upon it."

I looked up, startled. What did he mean he knew something about me that I did not? Just what did he know?

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"I myself am still not sure. But I will figure it out in due time. Until then, go along with your lessons, and try to behave yourself." I grumbled under my breathe and nodded. "Now run along."

"Yeah..I'll just run along..."

First stop was breakfast. The food was very good, delivered by some strange little girls that I had not seen before. They smiled at me, and I nodded slightly in response, which seemed to not be what they were expecting. They frowned and continued to pass out food, and I got a plate full, though I did not go for anything else. I waited for drinks, and someone nudged me.

"Just tell that goblet there what you want. It'll make it for you."

I raised an eyebrow at him and he gestured to the empty goblet. I turned to it.

"Water."

Instantly, cool spring water filled it. I leaned slightly away in shock, but thirst struck me in the form of my instantly dry mouth. I took a sip of the water and found it extremely cold and refreshing. I shrugged and began to eat. I finished the plate quickly, as all the laughter and other things were getting on my nerves. Seriously, I always enjoyed my meals in the peace and quite. Never mind the fact that I was usually in the woods eating rabbit or picked fruits, I still treasured the quietness. But there were a lot of things that this place had that I was not fond of, including that bitch sitting a ways away, belching with her friends.

After the breakfast, I saw that I first had Greek with some girl named Annabeth Chase. I growled and looked around for this girl, and finally stopped someone and asked for directions. He pointed me toward a large tree where some blond girl was sitting with several campers, reciting things in some strange language. Oh wait, it was _Greek_.

I approached and found and she looked up, her startling gray eyes examining me, as if she were sizing me up. Then she raised an eyebrow.

"You have a syrup stain on your shirt."

I didn't even bother to respond, only shrugged. The girl dismissed the campers she had been teaching and brought her full, undivided attention on my instantly annoyed self.

"I'm Annabeth. I'll be teaching you ancient Greek for a while, until you get the basics."

"Okay...sure thing."

She handed me a book filled with weird symbols all over it, and told me to open it to page...something.

"Now, we'll start off..."

-**one hour later**-

"Well, how is it coming to you?" she asked.

"To be perfectly honest...this looks Greek to me."

She rolled her eyes. "That's because it _is_ Greek."

"Really, cause couldn't tell if it was ancient Greek or something a dude wrote up when he was very high on something."

Annabeth clearly was not amused.

"Have a little respect. This language is older than some of the gods."

"Didn't know that people could get high back then."

"They couldn't."

"Then how was this writing done then? As I said, written up by some guy high on some ancient drug. I wonder if they had crack back in the old days..." I deliberately trailed off, not to sound rude, but this was really getting on my nerves and I wanted it to be over. I couldn't understand a single thing in this book. My description of the how it was written seemed possibly true in my mind's eye. Who could have made sense of such scribbling.

"So how was this crap written then?"

"By _hand_. By _inspired thinking_!"

"Didn't know dope was the stuff back then..."

"Look, I only have so much time to be with you and teach you this. Knowing ancient Greek is vital for half-bloods. So your going to have to spend some more time learning until you get the hang of it."

"Death sentence..."

"Oh, just get to your next lesson!"

"Alright then!" I said joyfully, and happily got to my feet and began to walk the hell away from that annoying blond, hearing her mumbling to herself about various things, though I would not doubt that she might possibly be thinking about the best way to knife me in the back. I was getting a vibe that didn't sit well with me when dealing with her. She was too...Smart.

My next class was...I could already hear the drum roll as I searched for it...was none other than archery. Well, at least something I could stand doing.

The class was about medium sized I'd guess, fifteen or so. Some were slightly nervous, and others showed much more confidence. I couldn't really tell who the top doing in this group would be, and so I decided that the earliest opportunity I'd get, I'd take that slot. If you were going to survive, you needed to show your dominance early on, otherwise the other little bastards would be all over you.

The teacher for this class was a guy a few years older than me, some always smiling, always nodding, and always looking good boy. I somewhat hated those types, for they set off that instinctual bad vibe. But I held my tongue and my wits in check for the moment, as simply walking away would not make much of an impression. I had to show that power as soon as possible.

"Alright, how many of you guys have experience?" he asked. He ran a hand through his blonder hair and looked at us through sky blue eyes. He stared at me and I gazed at him without any sign of humility. I swore that I saw something angry in his eyes, as he was probably thinking that he was the teacher and I should look at him with awe. The truth? I was already bored as hell.

Several raised their hands, and he nodded at them to step up, which I did as well. He stopped me as I was walking up.

"Whoa there, you sure you have? You're that new guy right?"

Oh, what now?

"Yeah, that would be me."

"Maybe you should stay with the newbies."

"Maybe you should bite me."

His eyes widened at my comeback, and he then glared at me.

"Just what did I do to earn that little lip?"

"I saw you looking at me with that little 'why aren't you worshiping me' look. And when you saw I wasn't going to grovel with my eyes you decided to get even. And now that I reveal that I do in fact have archery experience, you are trying to make me sit with the little ones like a good little puppy. Well, no sirree, I am going to show my skill and you can just shut up and love it."

He opened his mouth to reply, a furious expression on his face. But he then held his tongue and grumbled, motioning toward the experienced group.

"Get the hell over there..."

"Sure thing!"

I thought I heard him curse me to "Hades" or whatever, but I really did not give a shit at that point. I had just shown up the instructor right in front of the class. I hope that helped secure the top position in the food chain here. I stood next to the experienced group, and when he gave the signal, I drew my arrow. I loved the better feel of this arrow, far more advanced than my improvised one I had made back in the wilderness. He said something else, and I took aim.

I took a deep breathe, willing myself to stillness. I envisioned nothing else but my target, and I mentally traced the path my arrow would take in it's flight. There was nothing else, not the sweat running down my brow. Not the scent of the other campers next to me (I never noticed my sense of smell suddenly being so powerful). Not the racket that the other campers in the distance made. Nothing but me and my target. Every sense in my body, every ounce of concentration I had within me, was focused on that sole objective of hitting my target.

"Let Loose!"

And so I did. My arrow made a perfect arc toward the target, smashing right into the bull's-eye with unparalleled accuracy. The arrow made it's contact sooner than the others, and though they were not bad shots themselves, the others clearly were not of the same caliber. I did not mean to brag, since the accuracy was not leaned out of teachings, but out of survival. I needed to kill dinner somehow. And if my arrow missed, then I would essentially go hungry unless I could find something else to scavenge for.

The others noticed my target with the arrow right in the bull's eye and some of them seemed to look at me with jaw dropping looks for a moment. I guess they just had not seen anyone with as much skill as me...there I go, bragging. The head guy looked at me with raised eyebrows, probably trying to hide the obvious amazement behind your eyes. He walked over to me as I stood there, absorbing my sudden fame and trying to hide the smirk of satisfaction.

"You say you've done this before?" he asked.

"Once or twice..."

"How'd you get this good?"

"Practice makes perfect, as they always seem to say."

"How much practice?"

I looked at him with genuine annoyance.

"If you had to hunt to survive, you would learn to get really good, really fast too, now wouldn't you?"

He absorbed what I was saying and then shrugged.

"Class dismissed then."

Well, that was quick. I returned my bow and happily walked off. My schedule said that I had an hour for lunch and then sword and spear fighting. Well, I never had touched a spear or sword in my life, and so this would be interesting. But my rumbling stomach was telling me that lunch would be the most interesting, if it was at all like breakfast.

Thirty minutes later, I was sitting there, sated and full, my belly round with the filling.I did not think I had ever had so satisfying a meal, as when you catch your diner and steal and scavenge for anything else, you really can not simply wish for more. You ate what you could get, and nothing more. There was nothing more. But here, all you had to do was ask, and _Voila_! You had as much as you could want. It was almost perfect. Too perfect...

I immediately stood up and began to walk away. Something about perfection suddenly turned me off. Nothing should be perfect, and if it seemed to be perfect, then it was hiding something that may or may not be good. No scratch that, it was never good. Things never were, and never will be perfect. The world was a cold and dark place, where only the strong could survive. But if that simple philosophy was true than what was the deal with all these people just welcoming me here and not thinking twice of it?

No...there was always a price...I just had to find out what it would be...

Another thirty minutes later, and I was standing outside the arena, waiting for the instructor to arrive, and listening to the chatter of the campers around me. This class was a little bigger than the last, I counted about twenty-five, including me. Well, if I had to pull the "top dog" move again, I at least had a bigger audience. Which would mean more competition, but for some strange reason, I relished that thought. It seemed to make my heart quicken and my pulse flare. I had a smile ion my face as the instructor arrived and led us in.

"Alright then, my name is Mark. I'll be showing you little wussies how to fight with swords and spears today. So get your butts over to that rack and get a spear, and you might want to grab a shield as well. I don't want to accidentally run your pretty hides through."

The guy talked like some Drill Sergeant. Oh, this was going to be amusing.

The spears were about three and a half feet long. The instructor demonstrated that they were to be held in one hand with a over-hand grip, for better close range thrusting. I held the spear in my hand as told, and found that I liked the feel of the weapon. The long shaft felt at home within my hand. I felt a power from this weapon, almost as if I were...destined to have it...

"Alright, now pay attention. I'm gonna show some basic techniques. You better listen up, or you'll end up with several inches of steel right in your gut. Now watch.

He began to show several basic moves on the dummies that head been brought there. I watched as he made s show of tearing up their insides, and he seemed to be enjoying the simple act of destruction. He turned and gave us all a smile of, what seemed to me, sadistic pleasure, and motioned us all up.

"I want you to each strike a dummy square in the chest as hard as you can. And that spear better stay smooth the whole thrust, or you'll have to fight me during the sparring at the end of class."

So there was going to be an organized fight? Alright then. Hopefully I could make that good first impression. I lined up with everyone else and as a camper walked up to a new dummy, he or she would make a stance of their own choosing, and then thrust their spear at the dummy. Most of them were not very good, as this was probably a new group of campers. And the teacher was not making things easier, screaming into their ears and demanding to know if their parent was not a god but actually a rat or even worse. I was starting to hate this guy...

My turn came up, and I stood before the dummy. I was not sure what position to take. I had seen several make a rather good thrust, and so I started to copy them. But then a different feeling came to my mind. Something occurred to me that made me alter my form, placing my right foot back slightly farther than my left. I focused on the dummy with the same intensity as when I was shooting the arrow earlier. I took a deep breathe and thrust with my right arm, as hard as I could. To my surprise, the spear stayed smooth throughout my whole attack, and it impaled the dummy right through it's chest. I tore it out and looked at the instructor, who stared at me dumbstruck. But that look was quickly covered up.

"Well there...not bad. Looks like I know who I want to mess with later."

If this bastard tries anything...

We continued to learn basic fighting with spears. We also were taught to sue the shield to knock our opponent's spear point to a different direction, and then thrust, catching out opponent in the ribs. Finally, the instructor told us to put up our spears, and then to get a different weapon. This time it was a weapon with a handle much shorter than it's blade.

"Now we're gonna show you rats how to use swords, the warrior's weapon of choice!"

Sword...duh...

Another instructor joined in, saying his name was Sherman, and that he and Mark were both sons of Ares. I remembered that they had been children of Ares that I had beaten the hold hell out of last night...as well as that bitch. I gripped my sword tighter, remembering my vow to make her scream for mercy someday. No one everr did that to me, and no one would ever do that to me again.

We were taught basic swordsmanship. Several campers got nicks and cuts, dealt by their own mishandling, and were promptly chewed out by the instructors. I swore in my mind, as these guys seriously needed to get lives. When people are new, they make mistakes. I didn't think any of these campers would survive one day out in the wilds, where I had spent the majority of my life. Mistakes out here could be corrected, and maybe punishable. Mistakes out there could get you killed. So maybe it was better that these campers were chewed out, but I still did not think so while watching it.

Finally, I was told to demonstrate what I had learned. I took a deep breathe and focused on performing the moves we had been practicing. The sword felt different than the spear had. More...alien. But I still felt confident with it, and gave the dummy the slashes and thrusts as good as I could. The instructors did not comment to me, unlike the others, so hopefully I was making that impression that was so necessary for survival.

We practiced for about fifteen more minutes before the instructors told everyone to grab a partner. It would be time to fight. First with Spears, then swords. We would all have our shields. We would wear the standard breastplate, but that was all. They said we could not intentionally kill or maim, but the tone of their voice when they said _intentionally_ sent the vibe that they were thinking of ways to get away with it fore sure. And I could swewar I saw them stare at me while they said it.

_Oh well, time to rumble I guess. _

My first opponent was a boy about twelve. I gave him an evil smile, hoping to psych him out, and give me the advantage in the mentality department. It worked, and I saw him gulp ion fear. When the signal was given, I attacked before it was even finished. The boy could not pout up much of a fight before he was on the ground with my spear at his throat. The instructor, Sherman I thought, yelled at him to get his "miserable butt" over to the stands. HE looked at me in horror, and scampered toward them, sitting down with his knees up to his chest, rocking himself.

_Must have really given it to him...well, back to business._

The fights around me quickly dies down, with the ones who had gotten the hang of it sooner, or simply the quicker learners, beating the slower ones. The ones who lost were all placed in the stands with the kid I beat, and I faced a new opponent.

This one was not as easy. He rushed me as soon as the signal sounded, and he thrust directly at my face. I could have sworn he was trying to take one of my eyes out, and I grew angry. I jumped back and thrust at his torso, my spear deflecting off his shield. He thrust at me again, and I twisted to my left, allowing the spear to slice the air inches from my right side. Then I violently brought my shield on it, and snapped it a few centimeters from where the blade was. Before he could react, I then smashed him in the face with the shield, sending number two down for the count.

I stood once again, victorious a second time, and watched the fighters go at it all around me. When the fights were over, the final group stood before the instructors, and they decked themselves out as well. We were all given helmets this time.

"And now you are going to going to fight against us. Y'all beat the first two. Can you stand up to us? We think not...so let's get to work. First challengers step up, so we can proceed with the ass-kicking!"

The first two came up. The instructors stepped away from each other, in order to give each other room to deal with their respective fighter. When they nodded, the four fought for maybe twelves seconds before the two campers were soundly knocked off their rockers by the two Ares teachers. I could not help but notice that the Ares guys seemed to fight much better with weapons then with their bare hands.

The group was steadily whittled down by the teachers. Finally it was just me and a buff looking guy. We looked at each other and shrugged. It was all we could do when we marched up to meet the instructors for our little duel.

I was to fight Mark. He looked at me with a degrading look that I would just love to slash right off. If he kept his charade of insults going, then I was afraid that I might just do that exact thing.

"I've been watchin' you, punk. I think I am gonna' enjoy this one..."

I said nothing. I took a deep breathe, as I had done often today, and watched my opponent make his stance. I braced for the moment of collision, as that seemed to be when these guys were strongest. I might not want to get right up with them, as they obviously were extremely strong, and I would not stand very long in that position. I would try to fight this at arms length, if at all possible.

"NOW!"

We attacked each other in unison. Despite my only recently learning some techniques of spear fighting, I was surprised that I could fight as well as I was with it. The grip and feel was wonderful to me, and I stayed true to my chosen tactic of keeping my distance.

He was very good though, and I had trouble being on the offensive. He would attack me faster than I had seen anyone attack lately, and I would keep having to jump and thrust myself to the side to avoid his attacks. I would occasionally get a blow in, but he was an expert with his shield, and I would merely be stabbing into it instead of his armor. He rushed at me again, and I twisted my body to the left, the same as when I fought my first opponent. But he seemed to remember what I did afterward, and was quick to retract his spear before I could smash it in half. I tried to, and that exposed my upper left arm.

He quickly stabbed forward, and cut me right where my left shoulder meets my arm. I howled in pain, but more in rage. The thought that he was not suppose to do that did not occur to me, as I redoubled my efforts, the pain seeming to give me new strength. I disregarded my previous strategy, and when he thrust, I blocked it with the side of my shield, and used it to shove it to the side. Then I lunged forward, and rammed him in the face, as I had done before. He did not expect this, and was thrown back several feet. But he managed to stay on his feet, and quickly recovered. I was short of breathe myself, and allowed him a reprieve, in order to grant myself one.

We circled each other. He had his grin on, as if he were indeed enjoying this. I had my game-face on, and stared at him with all the intensity I could, not once allowing my eyes to waver away to the fight between the other two. But that one was dwindling down, and Sherman had the upper hand. The other guy had fought valiantly, but that fight was virtually over. Mine was still hot.

"I underestimated you, little punk," he said, with what seemed like grudging respect. "But I sure won't be makin' that mistake again."

He attacked again, and I fought him with every ounce oif energy I still had in me. He made a thrust, and I managed to dodge. Then, surprising even myself, I thrust my shield toward his spear, faster than I thought possible, and it was smashed in half. He seemed shocked and back pedaled. When I thrust at him, he leaned out of the way, before drawing his sword and cutting it off with one smooth motion. This caught me off guard, and he brought it down in a violent motion to the top of my shield, smashing it out of my hand. Then he kicked me in the gut, sending me to taste the dirt.

His brother cheered from over his own victim. I spat out the dirt, but could not spit out the taste of defeat once more. This was seriously annoying...

"You should have known that you couldn't beat me, little dude. Nobody can defeat the sons of Ares!"

I could only get up slowly, not wanting to face him, and kept my eyes down.

"You other guys are nothing compared to us! You should just crawl back into yo' momma's wombs, where you belong!"

_Say what now.._

He made another mocking retort, and I felt a rage ignite in me that I had not felt previously, except for when I fought the reddish-haired bitch yesterday. It warmed my aching muscles and I felt it harden my heart. I looked at him, and I was shocked to see the world in a strange red hue, just barely noticeable, but there. I gritted my teeth, not in pain but rage. I felt the strange new power envelope me fully, and I slowly drew my sword, the feeling not so alien now. It felt almost as if it were a lover, and my holding it was my way of showing affection.

I had known anger and degradation for too long. And I was going to make sure that this son of a bitch would ever look down on me again...

I slowly stood to my full height, and the crowd on the stand and the Sherman noticed, and tried to signal a warning to Mark, who was still rejoicing in his supposed victory. I took a deep breathe, reveling in the great power now within me. What was this? I did not know, but I embraced it now, and It embraced me back.

Mark turned to face me...

I let out a battle cry that rocked the air around us all, and I rushed him. I closed the distance faster than I thought I ever could such a distance, and Mark just barely had enough time to raise his blade to meet mine. But the power of my attack smashed into his blade with a resounding crack, and even he could barely hold onto it. I then gave him powerful, yet swift blows. He had to drop his shield and hold onto his sword with both hands in the face of such an assault. My strength surprised me as I attacked, all feeling of mercy and combat chivalry gone from me. I felt like an unstoppable killing machine...yes a _killing_ machine.

I gave him another blow, and this time his sword was smashed to the ground. Before he could make a move and recover it, I smashed him on the top of his helmet with the bottom of my sword handle. His eyes seemed to vibrate as he fell to the ground. But I was not finished, not by a long shot. He had insulted me, and he was not going to get away with it.

I stood above him, and my mind was screaming with thwe heat of battle. An unstoppable urge had come over me, so powerful that I felt nothing could stop me. I revelded in it, loved it, and felt I could go forever fighting, unitl I had cut down the whole world under my blade. I looked at the fallen Ares teacher, as he slowly started to raise his head, and the urge ripped through me...

_Kill him!_

_Kill Him, for he has insulted you!_

_You never leave a warrior time to recover...KILL HIM!  
_

I took a knee and ripped his helmet off his head. Then I brought the flat of my shield onto his face, not the edge, but the front. I might have killed him with the edge, but I was gentle enough with the flat front area to not kill him. I only wanted to make him wish he were dead. I did it again, as he tried to get up. He was blown to the ground again, his face being mashed into an unrecognizable...something. The rest of the group seemed thunderstruck at what they were seeing. I kept going, giving him to more whacks, before several strong arms grabbed me around my shoulders.

"Get off of me!" I snarled.

"That's enough!" I heard one of them speak. It sounded like that Percy guy. The other hands belonged to some strange kid I had not seen before. He had pale skin, and Messy black hair. He and Percy had their arms around me and were wrestling me away from the fallen Ares camper, and soon, as it seemed that my struggles were breaking through, the other campers rushed over, and it took three more of them to get me away from the fallen Mark. I was dragged away several yards, before I finally calmed down, the strange rage that had taken over me dying out. I stood panting, the leaving of the power making me suddenly very weary.

"What the hell was that all about! You nearly killed that guy!" Percy yelled.

"He needed to pay for that..." I mumbled.

"Pay for what? You can't go and kill people for simple insults!"

"I wasn't gonna' kill him...I was just going to make him wish he was dead."

Percy shook his head. He pointed toward the cabins, and gave me a look of concern.

"You better just go chill in your cabin. I think after word of this gets out, Chiron might want to talk with you."

"Oh great..."

I slowly left the gathering crowd and walked toward the cabins, glaring at the campers who were giving me stares as I walked by. They quickly minded their own business, but I could feel their eyes on my back as I passed.

_Well...I guess I made that first impression all right..._

-0-

I often wondered if someone felt nervous just before being called into an authority figures office for what was sure to be a flat out ripping-of-ass. I had never had that experience before, and so I was not sure how to react as I stood outside the big house, waiting for Chiron. One of the counselors had come to my cabin and told me to go to the big house, as Chiron was expecting me there, no doubt to discuss what I had done to that Mark guy.

Well, I certainly had no regrets. Or maybe I had a lot of regrets? Did I truly deserve to hurt him that badly? Sure he insulted me and bragged about his defeat over me. Did that give me right to hurt him badly? Maybe the fight was not really over, as I was still able to get up after he had kicked me to the ground. After that strange new power had come over me...

I involuntarily shuddered as I remembered the feeling. That unstoppable tide that came over me as I lay bloodied and defeated, hearing the bragging of my enemy as he swore his dominance over me. I felt it enter me then, as if it had laid in dormant, waiting for just the right moment to come out and...help me? Was that it? Was this strange new sensation suppose to be some kind of inner power in me? And if so, how come it had not shown itself previously, not unto I had entered this camp of shock and wonder.

I waited next to the door of Chiron's office, or what I assumed to be his office. I had not actually been in here before, considering I had just gotten here yesterday. I felt like pacing, but I didn't want to seem like I was nervous. Yeah, I guess people waiting for the adult to come rip them a new one really did get nervous. I was feeling that now.

The door opened and I practically jumped out of my skin. I expected him to march out and roughly order me in, and then demanding to know what I was thinking, or what I was intending to do. He probably would think I was going to kill that guy, and to be honest, if they had not dragged me away, then whatever my intention, I might have. Was this new power that seemed to be in me something that I needed to fear? Or was it something that simply was part of me, and just needed to be controlled?

But instead of racing out with a look of annoyance or even anger, Chiron came out with gentle steps and nodded toward me, goading me inside. I took several nervous steps toward the door, not really wanting to be alone with anyone at the moment. I had the feeling that I was suddenly number one on a number of hit lists. But Chiron had a feeling of warmth to him, and when he gave me a second nod toward the entry, I slowly obeyed.

"You need not be afraid, Einar. I will merely speak with you about what happened and what needs to be done."

All right then. I expected as much. I entered and found that it was not a large office, but more of a conference room. There was a large table and chairs around it. Chiron trotted toward one end and pulled one of the chairs out, and then stop a ways in front of it, indicating that I was to sit in the chair facing him. I slowly obeyed and looked up at him as he looked down at me, and I tried to play the innocent camper look.

"Einar, I was told what happened at the sword fighting arena. I am very disturbed by this."

"So am I..."

"What was that?"

"I said so am I"

He leaned back a moment and stroked his chin, lost in thought. Then he leaned a little closer.

"What got into you?"

I sighed. This wasn't going to be very easy to explain. After all, I myself was still confused at just what this power in me was.

"It' kind of hard to explain..."

"I have been around for over three thousand years Einar. I have seen quite a few things that you would consider strange in my days. So simply try to explain what is the matter, as best as you are able."

It didn't even faze me that he had confessed his age, measuring it in millenniums. I took a deep breathe and began to speak.

"When I was fighting...Mark...He beat me at first. Then he insulted me, claiming I was weak and cowardly..."

"Children of Ares tend to do that after they win. It follows after their father, the war god. He is rather...boastful."

I nodded my understanding and continued.

"Well, when I was hearing the insults, and feeling that feel of defeat, I geuss something in me just kind of clicked."

"Clicked?" he asked, an eyebrow raising.

"Well, maybe not clicked. More like a feeling flared up in me."

"And what kind oif feeling would that be?"

"Like a kind of rage, I guess. I was could not accept being defeated. I felt some kind of power enter me when he was insulting all of us, and that kind of...well, I guess you'd call it 'bloodlust', or 'battle rage'. But I felt some kind of power come to me, and after that, it was like I _had_ to fight, I _had_ to beat him down. I couldn't help it.

Chiron nodded.

"The same thing happened when I fought with Clarisse...if that is her name..."

"It is. And I hear you put up quite a fight. She might only have won due to her blessing from Ares..."

"What's that?"

"A special ability bestowed upon Ares children for especially great deeds. It renders them practically invincible."

I would have to find a way to beat that...or overpower it all together...

"How did it feel, this feeling?"

"I felt like I was unstoppable, like I was the ultimate fighting machine. I felt like I could not be stopped, not by that camper, or Clarisse, or anyone..."

"So this feeling puts extreme confidence in, yes?"

"I guess so."

"Very well. Then you will have to be very careful. People have died by the thousands when they become overconfident. Heroes especially."

I nodded my understanding. This was turning out a lot better than I expected. I had expected him to scold me severely, even to scream and yell at me. I thought the first words out of his mouth would be along the lines of "what were you thinking!" or "I am ashamed". But instead he was very calm, and spoke to me almost fatherly. I had not known many people of this caliber. Whatever he was...oh yeah, a centaur...he was probably the most sympathetic man I had met.

"Well, I guess you are more gifted than we initially thought."

_Not sure if you could call the ability to go psycho-fighter a gift..._

"And so, I will give word to the counselors to keep a close eye on you. I might have several of our more...talented fighters follow you at a distance, at least for a while."

"So your gonna' have me watched twenty four seven?"

"Not all the time. But we are going to have to watch you closely. We still do not know who your godly parent is, and I do not know what god this ability might apply to. Or even if it is..." he trailed off.

"What...what?" I asked, eager to hear what he might have thought of. He turned back to me and gave me asmile.

"Nevr mind. I hear that you made an impression at the archery range. A bull's eye on your first try?"

"Yeah."

"Very good. I am tempted to say you might be a son of Apollo, the god of archery. I also heard you were rather disrespectful to the instructor?"

I stalled. He nodded, knowing what I was thinking.

"You must show just a bit more respect for the staff here, especially the counselors. We are honestly trying to help you, Einar. I know that you had a very harsh life before you came here. Surviving out in the wilderness is no easy task, and that shows extreme endurance on your part. But there are beings of great evil out there, and you need to know how to cope with them, should you ever come face to face with them."

I nodded. He waved me off, signaling that I could leave. As I was walking away he called me back.

"Einar, just one more thing. I noticed that you have been sweating an awful lot since you got here."

I turned and stared, not sure how to react. He was right, my clothes felt damp again from the sweat.

"Is there something the matter?"

"It's hot in this camp, that's all."

"It is kept at a comfortable temperature. Mr. D makes sure that it stays so. Are you sure you are alright?"

"I'm fine."

He stared at me for a while longer, and then nodded, giving me a visual signal to leave. I slowly closed the door behind me and walked out of the Big House the way I had entered, making my way back to my cabin. There was not many more campers oput at this time, and so I thankfully did not have to put up with as many stares as I made my way toward the cabin area.

Then I heard a voice call up, and my blood rushed into my veins just a little bit faster.

"Hey punk, I hear you beat another of my siblings up today!"

I turned just in time to see that bitch walking up to me. I immediately assumed a fighting stance, sure that this was another attack. And if it came to it, I would not be the one on the ground this time. She slowly walked up and stopped about five or so feet away from me, and smiled at my stance.

"I'm not here to pummel you...again."

"You try that again, you bitch, and I will not be the one ending up in that infirmary place again."

Her eyes opened slightly wider at my swear, and she lowered her head in an almost lethal glare.

"I was only gonna' remind you that I'm watching your little butt. You make another move to do that to another camper, especially one of my brothers, and you are sorely going to regret it. You'd be lucky if you are even able to wake up again."

"If you try that, then you're gonna be the one six feet under."

I swore I saw her lip twitch in anger. Boy was I enjoying this...

"One more word, you little punk..."

"Bitch."

She snarled and I braced for her attack, already beginning to feel the start of that same power rising up in me. I was ready to embrace it once again, for if I was ever to beat this girl, I knew that I would need it. Regardless of what Chiron had told me, this "bloodlust" was the only thing that could help me beat this girl.

But I never got that chance, for that Percy kid showed up in the nick of time.

"Whoa there!"

He stepped between me and Clarisse, which I have to admit, was pretty ballsy. He held out a hand to eqach of us, and stared at Clarisse, then myself.

"You might want to get back to your cabin, before we have world war three erupt all over again," he said to me. I realized that he was right. This was not the time or the place. I knew that that would come later. I swloly turned to walk away.

"This isn't over, punk!"

"I hope not!" I called over my shoulder. Then I began to make my way once again toward my cabin, and I was thankful once again that there was no one to notice me as I pretty much pouted as I walked. I seriously do not think that I ever hated anyone more than that girl right now. If there was just a way to beat her little blessing...

I was walking, lost in thought, and so I did not notice the girl passing in front of me, carrying a basket of flowers, and humming to herself as she walked. Which was right into me, as I was going the opposite direction, and ran smack into her. How we didn';t notice each other was beyond me, but we both walked smack into each other, making her drop her basket.

"Oh, sorry." she quickly apologized. I found her tone truly sorry, and nodded.

"My bad."

I took notice of her as she leaned down and picked up her basket. She had long black hair, which fell a little past her shoulders. When she looked up, she had large chocolate colored eyes, which I found very...well, pretty. She had a very "farmer" girl feel to her, and for some reason, that sent a shot of...something I could not describe. I was suddenly liking this girl.

"Uh...sorry, I should have been wacthing where I was going."

"Oh, it's no big deal. I should have gotten a smaller basket. I'm Katie by the way. Katie Gardner."

"Einar..Einar Geirod."

"Huh...that's a nice name. Very...powerful sounding.

Powerful?

"Well, I like yours as well. It has a nice ring to it."

She chuckled, a very pleasant ringing. I found an instant liking to that sound...

Whoa there, what was going on here? I just randomly run into a girl when I was not looking, and then suddenly I am talking to her for real. And now I am actually seeming to develop a crush on her, less than two minutes after meeting her? I shook my head and gave her a friendly smile.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Katie. But I really gotta go get some sleep. I've had a hard one today."

"Alright then. See you around."

I shook her image from my mind as I slowly made my way finally to my cabin. I walked in to find that most of them were simply talking or playing games, thankfully quietly. I waited there until dinner, replaying the day's events in my mind. When the horn for dinner sounded, I was quick to get up and see for some food, as I found myself suddenly famished.

Dinner was just like Breakfast and Lunch. I wished for what I wanted, and it came. The little girls from the woods delivered the food, more than I could ever want. I ate, once again filling myself. I carefully avoided looking at Katie Gardner, as I did not want to form anything right now. She had struck a cord with me for some reason, and I did not want to mindlessly jump into things. I had survived by watching from a distance and acting only when chances of success were high. To do anything else could mean bad things happening...like death.

After dinner there was some strange sing-along at the campfire. I had no idea about the lyrics or anything, and so I only pretended to move my mouth and sing, never actually raising my voice. These people had some weird after dinner rituals. Afterward, there was only messing around until lights out. But I didn't stay for that, as I could already feel the weight of the day upon me. I was the first one to sleep that night, and most likely the first one to dream...

I was fighting something horrible. I stood there, panting, my body wrecked and bloody, and barely able to stand. I was holding a short spear, like that I had used in my fight today, and holding a large shield. My armor was shattered in some places, and my helmet...I wasn't even wearing one. But despite how broken I was in this dream, it was not that that scared me. It was what I was fighting that made me realize that it had to be a nightmare.

My opponent was huge, the biggest man I had ever seen...no, not a man, a _creature_. It had long, sharp claws. It's nose was long and pointed down slightly, like an old hag of a witch in popular culture. It grinned at me with sharp, blackish teeth. It's skin was wrinkly and of several colors, all faded. It snarled at me and I braced for it's attack, readying myself for a powerful thrust to it's face. But as I thrust, my wounds overcame me and I fell to the ground. THe creature jumped over me as I was falling, and as I lay there, paning in pain and exhaustion, it looked at me with mericless, beastal eyes.

"What's this? Is the son of the hunter too wounded to fight? Oh, I have never before seen this...at least it makes things easier..."

And with that, the creature lunged downward, it's mouth wide open, and I swore I could feel it's hot breathe as it was ready to devour my face...

I awoke with a silent gasp, managing to not awaken any of my cabin mates. I lay there, propped up, not wanting to lay down for fear of seeing that creatue behind my closed eyelids.

I had never had a dream like that...


	4. Dreams

Chapter Four: Dreams

I had not slept since waking up from that nightmare. Just what kind of thing was that that attacked me in that dream? I had never before seen something so disgusting looking in my life, in my dreams or real life. And what was I doing fighting it? Something like that would have usually made me turn tail and run. I shuddered as I remembered the disgusting teeth, and how sharp and pointy they were. And that mouth looked like it could have eaten an elephant with out a second thought.

I slowly crawled out of the sleeping bag, and walked outside. Tonight was cooler than yesterday, and so I did not feel the urge to run ot the shower to get the sweat off. Instead, I sat there and relished the feeling of the cool morning air. I felt the dew on the grass, and heard the bird songs going on in the woods. I sat there on that porch for a long while, just contemplating the beauty of nature. And as I did, more thoughts came onto me.

Why did man live within the confines of homes and shelter themselves from the Earth like this? There was so much love in nature. True , nature could be cold and unforgiving, but at the same time, it almost had a feel of life to it. Like everything was meant to be the way it was. No, wait a minute, that wasn't right. I had been born free of anything, man or deity.

Maybe it was fate that we had the troubles and joys that we did. That we went through the temptations and pains, and sorrow and happiness, was all predestined i some way. It could have been fated that we would find these things, but it would be our own free will to deal with it. We were dealt a hand, and we would decide how to play it. Our actions were not restrained. I did not believe they could be. But maybe the events were meant to happen. And it would be up to us as to what to do about them, and that is what set us all apart.

I breathed deeply and watched the movement of what I could swear to be deer in the woods. Yes, they were deer, I saw one now. I had often hunted them for food, but I did not need to, not while I was here, being able to stuff myself every day. Well, I had never been a large eater, out of habit from being in the wilderness, but I was much better fed lately than ever.

I could not help but smile as I saw a baby walk out from the cover of the trees and approach it's mother, who was grazing just a little ways off. I watched it casually walk under it's mother and start drinking from her, almost like it was no big deal to just walk over and start sucking on her. And the mother just continued to graze, picking at the green grass just like any other day.

Despite the feelings of last night and yesterday afternoon, I could not help but smile.

And then the horn to signal the wake-up call sounded, and the deer, spooked, ran off. I sighed and stood up, waiting for the rest of my cabin to get out so we could get over to the dining pavilion for a little grub. They sure did take their dear sweet time as I waited there. One of them opened the door and seemed startled that I was there, and said something to someone inside. Connor stuck his head out and looked at me in confusion.

"You just wake up early, don't you?"

"Pretty much. I had always been a early riser."

"Aright then. Just a second. We'll be out pretty quick." He looked at my clothes and scrunched his face. "I'll send word to Chiron about getting some camp clothes for you."

"Sure, thanks."

He disappeared back into his cabin, and I heard him raise his voice to get attention. Seconds later, the door opened up and the cabin began to file out, with me taking the rear end. We walked past the other cabins, which were filing out as well, if in various degrees, and entered the dining area, taking our seats at our usual table. We talked and chattered loudly, or well, they did, and waited for all the other cabins to get in there. After we were all seated, Chiron made his way to the front and banged his hoof on the ground, silencing all.

"I hope you all slept well, and I have important announcement to make. We will be having our Capture the flag as usual in a few days time."

There were cheers all around.

"And furthermore, while I know you all are not particularly fond of them, the hunters will be arriving shortly, most likely just after we have our capture the flag game. I know you all would wish to battle them instead, and I will see if we can arrange another match after they arrive"

"There were some grumbles when he mentioned the 'hunters', and then the mood slightly improved when he mentioned he would still see about a game against them. I turned to the guy next to me.

"What are the hunters he was talking about?"

"The hunters of Artemis. They're an all girl group of hunters who go around the world with her, fighting monsters. They're all little girls and they don't exactly like boys. Artemis is actually fond of turning them into animals for them to hunt."

"Oh...well, she seems like someone I would just love to get face to face with."

"Trust me...that would not be wise..."

We shut up and started ripping into our food seconds after it had arrived. I found myself to be far hungrier than I had thought, and I was tearing the meat to shreds. I had never been much of a vegetable or fruit eater, and so I only took some meager portions of those. But I loved the taste of meat, especially that of an animal I had hunted and killed. It tasted so much better, like the taste of accomplishment.

I was finishing when I noticed her walk by. That long black hair flowing down past her shoulders, and those nice, very pretty chocolate eyes. She had nice cheekbones, and I noticed that her hair was wavier than I had noticed at first. She was laughing with some of her cabin mates, and I could hear it for some reason, over the dim of everybody's chatter. It was...well, really musical I guess.

She caught my eye, and damn me, I turned away. I had not been afraid of many things, but this was a whole different level of things. Women were not something I had had much contact with, let alone experience. I probably had not said five words to them the whole time I had met one. The only time I had said more than what was barest necessity was when had run into that girl yesterday. The one who laughed again as I was looking down. I guess I didn't have to look up to see what she was laughing at, or whom.

I got up and began to go for a walk. There would be a little time before the horn to signal the beginning of lessons, and so I decided to get a little exploration done, to see some sights I had not seen before. I noticed that overgrown lizard around the tree at the border. It was seemingly asleep, with puffs of smoke coming out of it's nostrils in little balls. But I didn't want to test that theory, so I moved on.

After about fifteen minutes I had seen everything else I really cared for. The one other thing I found weird was the fact that the "climbing wall" would drop lava every now and then. I was wondering how many parents had lawyers already filing suit against this place for their little urchins injuries. It seemed to me that this place was designed to kill you, or make you wish you were dead. If so, then these people had a seriously messed up training method.

_Well, I had better get to training...training...sounds kinda funny actually..._

I marched back toward the tree where I had last seen Annabeth yesterday. She was there again, and this time she looked rather annoyed by my approach. I made a note that today I would make more of an effort to try and learn this seriously twisted language. I nodded at her, and she nodded back.

"Are you ready to try again?" she asked. I sighed.

"I guess you can call it that."

"Well, let's try this gain then."

After another hour of headaches, word mispronunciations, tongue-twisting, and some moderate growls of annoyance, I finally stood up at her dismissal, and to my utter shock and awe, I actually could read the first few letters of this Greek alphabet. I guess I could almost jump for joy at my first landmark in that area. And now I was off to see if I had to to put the instructor for archery down in his place again. Seriously, the guy just pissed me off.

I found the group half filled, and the instructor just told us to grab a bow and simply start practicing. I obliged, grateful for something basic and relatively easy. I began to fire at my selected target, and my arrows were striking the target true. I could feel the others watching me, and only smirked. I had not gotten this much attention for a long while, and I was seriously liking it. Usually I avoided attention, but here it felt great. I did not know why I suddenly liked it, but I found myself basking in it as I shot my arrows right into the target's bulls-eye from at least several hundred yards away.

The instructor walked over to me and watched as well. After I had fired my last arrow, he cocked his head in thought.

"Ya' know who your god parent is, by some chance?"

I shook my head.

"Nope. I don't got a clue."

"Well, ya' sure do shoot your bow and arrows real good. I wouldn't be surprised to see you get claimed by Apollo some time soon, with that skill."

"Apollo? Who's he?"

The instructor leaned his head back in slight disbelief.

"He is one of the more popular Olympians? You don't know about him?"

"I had not even heard of the Olympians until I got here."

"Well, he is the god of archery, music, and medicine. And probably the most grooviest god."

"Groovy?"

He laughed.

"If you ever meet him, you'll see what I mean."

"Okay..."

"Well, ya' seem to be finished, and not to shabby. Go on ahead and run off. You clearly don't need any more instruction for today."

"Sure thing!" I said happily, and then took off. I could already hear the meat of dinner calling my name. And as I ate, I took it more slowly than yesterday, deciding to savor it more than anything. As I ate, I noticed the people around me, the different body types and colors. It still amazed me how genetically radical people could be sometimes.

I had finished dinner and was bracing for what might take place during Spear and sword fighting. After yesterday, I was not sure how the Ares guys, if that was them teaching it still, would react to me. If that guy was still there, then he either would want to avoid me, or would fight me again in an attempt to try and kill me. That in turn, would force me to have to bring up that strange fighting power I seemed to have, that bloodlust that had arisen every time I had been accosted here. That in turn, would force me to pummel him yet again, and this time I didn't know if I would have the strength to stop, or allow, myself to be pulled away like last time.

But a schedule is a schedule, and Chiron seemed like one strict Half-Horse mutant. So I gulped down the last of my water, and slowly got up to slowly walk over to the spear and sword fighting arena. With any luck, I might have scared those Ares guys to the point where they wouldn't bother me, through I actually hoped that that bitch Clarisse would be there. She and I had a score to settle.

But as I entered, and found the rest of the class there, it wasn't the same instructors as last time. These guys were a lot more friendlier looking, and a lot leaner than the buff Ares campers. They looked at us with smiles and friendly eyes, which I found startling gray, just like Annabeth's.

"Are you all here?" one of them asked.

The were some mumbles of confirmation.

"Great, then let's get started then. I'm Eric and this is Malcolm, both of us are sons of Athens. Mark and Sherman couldn't be here, so we kind of got "volunteered" by Chiron to help out. So let's get to business. Let's go on in."

We entered the arena and waited for the instructors to drag out the racks for the swords and spears. They instructed each of us to take a spear, and then lined us up, in a way like yesterday. But there was a lot less abuse coming from these guys than the Ares teachers.

"We're just gonna go over what you guys did yesterday, and see if we can't improve on them. Well, pick a dummy and _get i'm_'!"

There was laughter at the deliberate change of accent, and we each picked our dummy and began to strike at it with our chosen spear, aiming for a different area with the next strike. The trick was to do it with one arm, instead of two, since you would usually have a shield on that arm. You had to learn to control it with one hand, and to thrust it smoothly and accurately with that one hand. I seemed to be...well, _have gotten _the hand of it.

"You sure are wielding that spear real good."

I turned to find one of the Athenian instructors, Malcolm, looking at me as I thrust. He had a surprised look on his face, and he was nodding with approval or impression. Or what looked like impression, I would guess.

"Never seen anyone get the hand of a spear so early."

"Well, I guess it just clicks with me."

"Clicks?"

"It's like the grip is at home in my hand. For some reason, it just feels like an extension of me. If I were to say one thing...I guess I've found _my_ weapon."

"Well, that would make sense. Some people tend to better with some weapons than others. We'll see how you wield a sword soon enough."

He turned to the class and raised his voice.

"Alright guys, time to break out the swords. Time to see some cold steel!"

We retrieved swords from their holding rack, and then we began to execute the same motions as we were rather rudely taught yesterday. I gave it the same strikes that I remembered, and Malcolm again came to observe.

"Not as good with a sword as you are with a spear?" he asked, and despite the bluntness of wording, I sensed no A-holeness in his tone.

"Nope. It just just doesn't have the same feel as the spear. By that I mean that it doesn't feel as 'at home' with me then the spear or the bow."

"I can tell. Your still rather good with it though."

I snorted, not rudely, and he walked off to observe some of the more struggling students. I kept going with the strokes and blows, until it was called that it was time for a little sparring. Everyone glanced at me with that look of "_oh hell, he's gonna kill us all_," but the instructors seemed at ease with the situation. Malcolm again approached me and lowered his voice.

"Hey, Einar, listen. I heard what you did to Mark. You don't have to go all out here. I won't be pressuring you like he did."

"You mean your gonna be the one to fight me?" I asked, a grin appearing on my face.

"Oh yes I am," he said, a smile appearing on his face as well.

We began to fight each other, but unlike the Ares campers, they did not goad us to be overly brutal and they did not remove those who fell rather quickly. They simply told them to brush themselves off and jump back in, which pleased me greatly. These guys were quickly becoming my more favored people at this strange place.

"Einar!" I heard Malcolm yell. I turned to see him armed and grinning from ear to ear, and he slowly lifted his weapon, pointing the tip of his sword toward me.

"Come over and get me!" he taunted. I grinned and obliged.

With a cry, I rushed him. I made an overhead slash with my sword, and he blocked it. We bashed our shields together, and a pushing match ensured. I was pleased to find myself winning in the area of sheer physical brawn, and pushed him back several feet. But he did something I did not expect, and went limp, allowing himself to be pushed clear off his feet. He landed on his back, and I was bent over him, against my will. He had his foot on my stomach, and as I was rolled over him by my own momentum, he used his foot to give me a rather nasty push over him and land on my own back, though not as controlled as his was.

I let out a cry of surprise, and rolled, avoiding a powerful slash downward aimed at me. He pressed his attack, and I was forced to stop rolling and try to put up a fight from where I lay. I blocked several blows but he proved himself to be an expert fighter, probably better than the Ares campers. Or maybe just smarter. His blows were far more coordinated.

I managed to raise my foot during a lull in his attack, and when he came at me again, I was able to shove on his shield with it, throwing him back several feet to land on the ground on his left side. I rushed to deliver a disarming attack, trying to knock his sword away from him, but as I did, he tripped me with his own foot, and sent me to the ground as well.

There was an awful lot of footwork being done in this fight...and half the time we were on our backs...Really satisfying actually.

We were both about to get up and continue. This was the first real fight that I didn't have that strange surge of power coursing through me. Well, it hadn't started up yet. I went through several practice fights yesterday without feeling it come up. Only when I fought Mark did I feel it rise in me. So maybe it only came when I was in real fight that was truly necessary, though that theory did not make any sense at the time.

Whatever my thoughts were, when we both got up and were about to continue, a whistle blew it dead. I turned to see the other Athenian instructor standing and smiling at us.

"Alright, I think that's enough guys. You two were pretty equal that whole time, so I thinks it's best you call it even."

Malcolm, panting in front of me nodded. I stayed in a fighting pose until he lowered his weapon. He walked over to me and slapped my shoulder in a friendly manner.

"You really do fight very well. I wonder if you might be of our mother."

"Who is she?" I asked. I had been trying to gather as much info on these "Olympians" as I could.

"Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle."

I nodded. Malcolm told us all to put our weapons back and I was free for the rest of the day. I really had noting to do, and so I decided to just wait in my cabin for a another boring while until dinner started. There really was a dearth of things to do while waiting for things to happen here. I suppose I could go to the archery range and do more practice. Yeah, I decided I would do just that.

I went to the range and no one stopped me from putting up the target. No one stopped me from gathering some ammo and picking out a bow. And no one even gave me a second glance when I started to shoot at the target. Well, I guess when you have free time here, you can spend it however you want. That was at least somewhat comforting.

I pushed the target as far as the range would allow, and made my shots, taking my time with each, as I had not fired this far ever before, not even during the several regular classes I had had. I was still hitting the target dead on, and I did not notice any extra exertions while doing so. I paused after my last shot and simply looked down upon the weapon.

A bow was not something particularly special. It was the first man-made ranged weapon, that was not a simple thrown instrument. It was just a piece of wood with a strong string of whatever the bowstring was made of. There was nothing beautiful or powerful about it. So why was I always so good with it? Why could I hit the target that no one else seemed able to hit? Was it like the spear, the way it felt so at home with me? Maybe...

I didn't think anymore about it, for at that instance, the dinner horn rang. I pushed the thoughts of self revelation aside and returned the gear to the armory, before going to the dining pavilion to me the cabin eleven folks already arriving. I took my seat at the table without a word to anyone, and began to eat, just like everyone. I was fitting in nicely...

I did risk taking some glances at Katie at her table, and thankfully never caught her looking back at me. I listened to her laugh, and allowed it to play in my ears, long into the night, as I lay upon my sleeping bag, too hot to crawl within it. The night was hotter than the last, and I lay in the heat in the depths of discomfort. When I finally closed my eyes, I was embraced by blissful darkness. But that did not last long. For another dream began.

This time I was not being attacked by something. Instead, I was standing by what seemed to be a road of some kind. It was cut through a long clearing in the forests, of which I did not know. But it was snowing lightly, and the frost covered virtually all. I was standing next to the road, and loving every feel of the icy frost. I felt as if I had stepped through what was my very own heaven. I was practically laughing with how good it felt. My smile was a relief to have on my face after so long.

I heard something coming. A strange trotting sound. My smile vanished as my curiosity rose. I stayed where I was, not feeling the urge to move away from the roadside. The trotting grew louder and louder, until a figure mounted on horseback appeared. I could tell the figure was that of a woman, but her features were darkened for some reason. I squinted to try and see better, but she remained cloaked in darkness.

I stood there as she reared the horse to a stop next to me. The woman, still cloaked, looked down on me, and I got the feel of a piercing gaze, very intense. But at the same time, I got a feeling of comfort from the presence of this mysterious figure. I did not know what it was, and I really could not put it into words. But it was like i knew this woman, almost as if a memory of a loved one you have recently met since you were a baby. You had not known them, yet there was a feel of family to them, almost as if you had indeed met them before.

I stepped away as the figure pulled something out from the darkness. I could not see where she pulled it from, but she handed me a bow. I hesitated for a moment before grasping it and holding it close for inspection.

I realized the folly of my previous thought of a bow being an un-beautiful weapon. This bow was utterly...gorgeous. It was pitch black, and had an interesting design, which gave it an almost futuristic look. I felt a surge of power, almost as if I had been granted something that I did not yet understand. I looked at the bow in confusion, and then looked at the woman on the horse, but at that moment...she was gone.

I looked down each side of the road, wondering if she might have taken off. But I would have heard the galloping of her horse if she did, and I heard nothing but the soft howling of the wind. I stood there in the middle of the road, clutching the new bow I had been given, and trying to make sense of what had just transpired.

_"You will be put to the test very soon..."_

A voice! But coming from where!

_"You will be forced to prove your worth, to show you are worthy of being a child of the gods..."_

I felt the piercing power of that voice, a woman's voice. But at the same time that I heard it's power, I felt a sense of power course through me, as if hearing her voice gave me a sense of feeling. Then I realized something. It felt just like when I went...well, "berserk", and pummeled the other campers that had fought me so far. But it felt like when I was hearing it, I was in _control_ of it.

I recognized this voice...but from where, I could not remember.

_"I will meet you directly soon, my child. And I will explain what I can..."_

There was a blinding flash of white light, and my world went dark.

-0-

"Gah!"

I awoke with a startled cry. I had been asleep on my sleeping bag, but that sleep had been cut short, courtesy of of a certain Connor Stoll, along with his brother, Travis. And with the use of a bucket of what was ice cold water, I had been thoroughly woken up. I didn't feel the cold, but I sure felt the liquid.

"What the...just what the hell were you guys trying to do!"

"Trying to wake you up. You missed breakfast, and classes have already begun. One of the Apollo guys were called in and said you weren't sick, just sleeping. Since nothing would wake you up, we kind of had to resort to some drastic measures."

"Drastic measures my ass! You could have just shook me!"

"We tried that. All you did was flail out in your sleep and knock some poor girl on the head. She's unconscious in the infirmary right now." that calmed me down.

"Oh...well, sorry about that. I guess I should get going. What time is it?"

"Almost time for lunch. It's about eleven forty-five."

"Shit..." I cursed.

Getting out, I quickly dressed into some fresh camp clothes, the strange orange T-shirt that was surely not my color, ad then headed outside. I was actually a little wobbly, as I had slept for probably the longest time in my life. As I stepped out, campers were going about their free time, fighting, arguing, and some of the more flamboyant campers were making out in the out of the way areas. I rolled my eyes.

"We can see you!" I shouted, only to get a rather rude gesture from one of the couples. I laughed, for sometimes I prided myself on the number of times I could get the finger. It was one of those things you didn't expect to be proud of, but it was there.

I walked toward the dining pavilion, just as lunch was beginning. I hoped to avoid Annabeth or the archery instructor, Will Solace, I remember was his name. He had warmed up to me somewhat, seeing my performance on the archery range, but I didn't want to get on his bad side by accidentally playing hookie.

I ate and thankfully no morning class instructor noticed me. I hoped to High heaven that it stayed that way. I could make the excuse that I was ill, maybe that would work, despite what the Apollo kid said to the Stolls.

I avoided Annabeth and Will, but I did not avoid Chiron. He trotted over to me as I was eating. I stayed eating, trying to act nonchalant at his approach, but he leaned down and whispered into my ear as I ate.

"When you are finished, I want to see you in the Big House. Something has arrived today. Addressed to you."

That got my attention. I stopped and looked at him.

"Huh? What do you mean, addressed to me?"

"Come by the Big House after lunch, and I will show you."

I nodded, and continued to eat. Chiron returned to the head table and finished, before trotting back and disappearing into the house. I finished my meal and avoided anyone as I slowly made my way toward the Big House. My feet felt as if I were wearing weights around them, and my gut was twisted in a knot from nervousness.

I had known no one for long, and had told very few my actual name. I didn't want anyone to give info to cops or anything like that. And no one I did come into contact with did not know of me being here. So just who would send me something to this camp, with my actual name upon it?

I slowly opened the door and walked to the door of the place Chiron had last talked to me. I knocked several times before I heard a voice call me to enter. I slowly opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. I looked inside to see Chiorn standing next to the table, with a strange packaged box on the table. I walked slowly over to him, and he chuckled.

"You need not be frightened Einar. I am not here to scold you. But this is a very strange thing indeed. Were you honest when you said you did not know your godly parent?"

I nodded. Chiron stroked his beard.

"What of your mortal parent?"

"I never knew him or her either."

Chiron nodded. He looked at the package for a moment, before turning back to him.

"This came in the mail to camp today. It was addressed to a Mr. Einar Geirodd."

I nodded.

"That's me..."

"And yet you say you have no knowledge of your godly parent?"

I felt a small surge of anger.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

Chiron shook his head slowly, seeming to be trying to calm me.

"Oh no Einar. I am not trying to imply that you are lying by any means. But you must find it odd that someone would know you were here, and would even send something to you. Don't you think?"

I could do nothing but nod. Chiron took the package and handed it to me.

"You may open it if you wish, but only in front of me, as I wish to see you have not been sent anything out of the ordinary. I assume that makes sense?"

I nodded, and began to pick at the top. It was a very basic box, and once I had it loose I set it on the table and pulled the lid off. I gasped at what I saw, and Chiron leaned forward and his eyes narrowed in surprise.

A bow. Pure black, with an intricate design. I seemed to be able to have small blades mounted on the edges, and as I picked it up, the grip was familiar, so familiar. Then I made the connection.

I had held this bow before. For this was the exact same bow as I had been handed by that strange woman on horseback in my dream. I did not know who that woman was or what she was trying to do, but I still remembered that sense of power coming from her. Power, and comfort at the same time. I held the bow for a long while, tracing my fingers over the flawlessly made wood. I slowly gripped it, and felt a surge of confidence in myself and this weapon.

Chiron leaned back in thought, and then nodded.

"I may be wrong, though that I doubt, but I would almost be willing to gamble that this is a gift from your godly parent."

I said nothing, still feeling the power that was emanating from this bow. I was almost shuddering in it's wake.

"Einar, are you alright?" I shook my head and snapped out of the seemingly trance-like state.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Mind if I take this for some test firing?"

"Alright. I don't see anything wrong with it. Usually, teachers would be worried if a student received a weapon in the mail, but here, well...:" he drowned off with a chuckle and simply goaded me off. I ran, yes ran our of there and began to ma e a bee-line for the range.

I was running for the range, and once again, came into a close contact experience with another campers. More specifically, a female camper, and even more specifically, the same female camper as last time.

_"Oof!"_

We stood up and I realized to my horror that I had once again smashed headlong into Katie Gardner. She stood up as well, rubbing her head.

"Ah, shit. Sorry, that was really was my bad."

"No biggie. This isn't a new thing for us." I chuckled.

"Yeah, we have got to stop meeting like this."

"Whoa..." she murmured. Her eyes were on my bow, and she leaned down a little closer, examining it closely. She had her mouth in a slight O of surprise, and her eyes gazed over it, as if it were some new artifact from a lost civilization.

"I guess you like it?" I asked.

"Einar...that bow is beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"Mail."

"The mail?"

"Yep..."

"But I thought you didn't have any family."

"I don't."

"Then who would send this to you?"

"That's what I would like yo know."

She stood up to her full height, about a head shorter than me. I found myself gazing into her chocolate eyes, and for a moment drowned in them. I opened my mouth to say something, but what could I say? I knew nothing about girls, so what if I made an offer that wouldn't go real kindly with her? Katie saw me pause with my mouth open and giggled.

"You actually nervous, aren't you?"

Shit...busted...but like hell I would ever confess it.

"No."

"Then why are red as a tomato?"

Alright, she had me there. If anything, I just got more red. She laughed at my new look, and then glanced at some activity behind me. I heard her name called, probably by some of her cabin mates. She gave me a smile of goodbye, and then slowly brushed by me. I got a whiff of her scent, and I detected that gardening smell, the smell of flowers and various crops. I stood there watching her pass by me, seeing the way her air flowed, and her hips swayed. She turned to look back at me, and I whirled around, resuming my walk toward the range without looking back, hoping to all hell that she had not noticed me looking at her.

The range was deserted, and I placed another target up, as far as it went. Then I notched an arrow into my new bow, ready to give it it's first test. I took aim like I had always done, and breathed in and out. Then I released.

The arrow smacked into the center of the target, but this time with far more velocity than with the camp's bows. I stood in shock, not lowering the bow from my cheek, and simply started at my arrow, still quivering with the shock of hitting the target so hard. I slowly took another arrow and re-aimed. I released and once again, it smacked into the target. And it's flight only lasted about half the time it took for an arrow from the camp bows, maximum. A smile slowly crossed my face, one of the few I had allowed these days. I looked at my new bow again, and wondered just what was capable of creating such a weapon.

I continued to practice with this new weapon, until I heard the dinner horn sounding. Cursing my lapse of attention, I ran toward the target and swooped it down. Then I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the stares, back to cabin eleven, and stashed my gear.

"So that's the new bow I've heard about?" Connor asked as I entered with it.

"Yep. And if any of you people try and nick...well, let's say that I will be making an attempt to find out if something is anatomically possible. Kapeesh?"

"Yeah, sure..." he said, looking scared. I grinned at my effectiveness at scare tactics. Though if any of them actually touched that bow...

Dinner was readily gobbled as usual. I was expectantly hungry this time, and my practicing and excitement had taken it's toll on my stomach. I heard Chiron tap his hoof, and was one of the last to look up, not particularly interested, but forced to listen all the same.

"Alright campers, I know that you are waiting to know when the capture the flag battle will be held?"

Cheers and hoots.

"Well, I am pleased to say that we will go ahead with it on Friday, two days from now. I suggest you all start picking your cabin allies right now."

There was some more excitement, and Chiron allowed them to return to their meal. I ate until I felt ready to burst, and then stood up before anyone else, going back to my cabin to get some extra sleep. I had slept late, but for some reason, I was still feeling tired. I would take a shower tomorrow with the cabin, however, that was for sure.

I stumbled into my cabin, and fell upon my sleeping bag. The air was cool, and so I did not crawl into the bag, which I wouldn't have done anyway, and slept there, my eyes shut and the world black around me.

I didn't have a dream again, well, at least not like before. This one was very simple, and happy.

There was a slight snow falling, and I was laughing and jumping through it like a young boy again. Actually, I felt and seemed to look like I was only about five or so, when I looked down at my body. I dropped and made a snow angel, and then got up and began to work on a snowman. All this time, that same figure of a woman was standing a slight distance away from me, and I did not pay much attention to her, lost in the childish joys of playing in the snow. But I did feel a sense of warmth from her, and it allowed me to play in the snow all the better, for I felt that if I were to be endangered, this woman would be right there.

I awoke, and to my surprise, another smile formed on my face from the dream. It had truly brought a sense of peace to me. I lay there on that sweaty sleeping bag, and basked in the feeling. But that moment was all too soon forgotten amid the sudden thrill of the wake-up call, and the announcement that the cabin had about fifteen minutes to shower, and then get back. I sighed amid the rush of campers suddenly bolting outside to run to the showers. Seriously, these people needed to enjoy the peacefulness for a while. But I got up with the rest, and moved toward the showers as well.

I couldn't take it as well as I wished, being able to only stay in for a few minutes. But I neglected to turn the water off, and when the person behind me jumped in without adjusting it, he yelped and jumped back.

"Jeez, man! What in Hades is wrong with you?"

"What?"

"The water is freaking freezing!"

"I like it that way."

"Are you crazy!"

"Maybe I am..."

The guy gave me a look of "that guy's a maniac", and then turned the water back to a more bearable temperature. I chuckled at his discomfort, and dried myself quickly before slipping into the camp clothes. I walked out, taking my dear sweet time, and made it to the dining pavilion just as others were hurrying up to it. I guess I was just a faster walker than I thought.

Breakfast was nothing more unusual than I had had here lately, and then it was off to the lessons for the day. First off was the Greek with Annabeth, and she had a more frenzied look on her face, like she had not slept well. I decided that today would be a good day to take it easy on her and really try, so I concentrated on making the strange symbols make sense, and was able to pick up a few more words, which seemed to satisfy Annabeth. I was quick to leave her to her own devices.

Archery was yet another snap class. I simply fired at the targets as he set them gradually farther and farther apart. I impressed him and the others when I brought my new bow and asked permission to use it. He allowed it and there was nit a single jaw that was not on the ground as I used it. More than one noticed the vast increase of velocity of the arrow's flight. They asked the usual "where did you get it" questions, and I gave the usual "in the mail" answer.

Spear and sword was once again taught by the Athenians kids. I was getting the sneaking suspicion that the Ares guys were actually scared to get in the ring with me, seeing that Mark was still recovering from the pounding I had given him. The ambrosia had only done so much.

After the day had gone so far, I was ready for a little rest. It had been less eventful then the last, but I was still utterly exhausted. I was sitting there, waiting for dinner, and then decided to rest my eyes for a moment, just a moment. But it would seem that that is all it takes for the dreams to snatch you. And this time, neither the snow or that strange woman was there. This one was something different altogether.

I was standing in a large stone-like room. It was unbearably warm, and the sweat was flowing off of me within seconds. I panted as I looked around, seeing that the room seemed to almost glow with heat. I heard voices and turned toward the center of the room, to see two figures talking. My heart stopped as I saw one of them.

It was the exact copy of the creature in my first dream. The one that I was fighting against, the one that was about to kill me. I saw it's fangs and deformed face, and when it smiled at something the other said, I got a chill down my spine that had never been felt before with such intensity. I felt that this thing was...something I could not put in simple words.

The other was human, or at least looked exactly like one. He had long hair, and a very handsome face. But his eyes were of a reddish hue, and I felt an extreme sense of disorder in his presence. It felt as if I were about to fly into that "berserk" mode again and kill everything, and I would enjoy doing it, causing absolute death and destruction. To cause chaos above anything else, and to love every second of it.

"Have you found the boy yet?" the creature asked the man. The man chuckled and laughed.

"Yes I have. It was not difficult. We don't have all that many children. Not compared to those Greek boy-loving Olympians."

The creature howled with a throaty laugh, which sounded like sandpaper being rubbed together. A very disturbing sound.

"So, where does this boy be at the moment?"

The man looked at the creature and closed his eyes for a moment.

"At the moment, he resides at the camp for the Greeks. He lays there in body..."

And then he turned at opened his eyes, looking directly at me. I could not help but immediately assume a fighting stance.

"...but his dreams are residing here. Do you always spy on others when you dream, son of the huntress?"

_What!_

The man grinned, and then launched himself at me, a large sword suddenly appearing in his hand, and I could do nothing as he ran me through...

_SHIT!_

I awoke with a start, and it took a few moment's of seeing the ceiling of the cabin to make me realize that that had only been a dream. But how? It had felt so real, just like the dream of the attack, the woman giving me that bow, and then playing in the snow as a young boy, with said woman watching me. And now this dream, when I had felt the heat of the room and th urge to create all sorts of chaos when that man was near. And I had even felt that weapon when he stabbed me, though no pain, just the sensation of having something going through me.

I was unharmed, but that didn't mean anything. If these were mere dreams, then how would I have been given that bow in a dream, and then suddenly have it sent to me through the camp mail by a completely unknown individual? I wondered just what were the odds of that happening. Really, what would they have been? A hundred million to one?

I stood up on my bag, and watched the others sleeping. It must be about midnight or a little later. I felt the urge to purge, and got up to enter the bathrooms. As I did so, I saw my reflection in the mirror. I stood there for a moment before approaching it. I noticed that someone had cleaned the shattered glass, and replaced the mirror I had shattered earlier. Well, good for them.

I watched my own reflection and pondered my thoughts that had made me attack my own reflection. As I did so, I felt those same feelings rush up within me.

_Look at that thing! It's an outcast! A disgrace! It hides in the woods like a frightened animal! _

"I am not an animal..." I muttered to myself. I think I might just be arguing with myself, which was not the worst thing that could happen. Only when I started to lose arguments with myself, would I need help.

_It hides from people because it is afraid! It is afraid of the world and it's evil's! He is even afraid to embrace his own heritage!_

"What are you...?" I asked my reflection.

I wondered on that question as my mind continued to scream insults at me. What was I? I clearly was not like everyone else. My mind and instincts seemed far more than theirs. Even here, among people who were strange already, I was strange. So just what was I?

I growled in anger. I felt the rage coursing within my heart, and I felt as if the whole world should pay for what I had gone through. My heart became a raging inferno, and I raised my hand once again to shatter mirror number two, and destroy the reflection of the disgusting thing being displayed.

_"You must embrace what you are..."_

A woman's voice. I whirled to find a black mass shaped like a woman, but I could not make any features out.

"Who are you!" I demanded. The figure continued though, ignoring my question.

_"You must learn to calm the fire in your heart. It is something all our children share. You are quick to anger, and are quick to lash out at anything, including yourself. You have suffered hardships, and I am truly sorry that I could not help you directly in those times. You need to show you are worthy..."_

"Worthy of what! Who or what are you!"

_"The answer to that question will be revealed soon enough. For now, this is all I can give you..."_

The figure reached forward, and I almost flinched back. But the smooth way she brought her hand to me, the slow, almost tender move, caught me off guard. I stood there and allowed the figure to place it's hand gently on my heart, the same heart that was screaming for blood. And as it held it there, a sensation of pleasant coolness entered me. I gasped at the feeling, and the fire of rage cooled down and eventually was put out altogether. I looked up and saw that the figure was gone, vanished.

I was frozen to the ground upon which I stood. I was still looking at the area where the figure had been. I was frozen to the ground. Is slowly got over the shock and took several deep breathes.

"Alright then...I don't have to use the bathroom anymore..."


	5. Triumph

Chapter Five: Triumph

"So what happens on these capture the flag days?"

I was standing outside the archery range with several campers, waiting for Will to hurry up and get over here. I had heard several of the campers talking about the game, and now on game day itself, it was the only subject I had heard about. Campers all over had been jabbering excitedly about how they were going to "kick the other team's ass' all day".

One of the campers, a boy named Pollux, turned to me.

"What happens during capture the flag?" he asked me, as if he was asking if that was what I had asked.

"Yeah. What happens? I know that it might just involve capturing a flag, but is there anything else?"

"Yeah, there is. Well, not much actually. It's really a game of strategy. And of battle skills. That's why the Ares and Athena cabins usually end up leading the teams."

I nodded my understanding. It made sense. The goddess of strategy versus the god of war.

"Is that guy ever going to get his royal Apollonian ass over here?" someone asked, and I chuckled at the question.

"He's probably admiring his image over at the lake...or the Aphrodite cabin," another said.

"Or maybe he's wondering how badly to punish you today..." a low voice called. The guy who said it whirled around to find Will standing right behind him, and he gulped slightly.

"Well, we have just been waiting patiently for you...sir."

"Save it and get your bows..."

We obeyed. As we fired our shots off, I took the pleasure that I was feeling with my new toy. I was also savoring the attention that I was getting because of it. I had never gotten so much, unless I did something radical and that just usually got people chasing me, trying to lynch me or worse.

The class went off smoothly as ever, and he soon nodded us off the range, and I happily went off to my next appointment, which was going to be the sword and spear fighting. And my gut twisted in a knot, for I saw the two devil's in human form, Mark and Sherman. They were already clad in armor, and were glaring at the class as they gradually arrived.

Mark saw me and grit his teeth as he glared. I grinned, as obviously I had made an impression with him. He didn't drop his glare, but the fact that he was showing signs of unease as he did so was proof enough to me that he was not looking to mess with me. Sherman did the same thing, and so he probably would not be interested in a fight either, seeing what had happened to his half-brother.

I didn't blame them. I honestly would not have picked a fight with myself after experiencing the rush of blood lust that filled me when I did so. I still could not figure out just what that was, but it only seemed to arise when I was facing an opponent that would otherwise defeat me. I couldn't have possibly have beaten Mark if that rush had not come on. And I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did against that bitch Clarisse without it.

I wondered how the game would go. What if I were to accidentally attack a team-mate? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I get lost in the woods and cannot find my way back? I had heard sounds coming from those woods at night, and I did not want to personally meet what might have been hiding in their.

But it would do no good to dwell on it right now. I needed to stay sharp for sword and spear training...That sounded ironic...

They told us to form up and we began our standard training. We attacked dummies and each other, howling sometimes when we got lost in the thrill of it all. Despite my little vendetta with the instructors, at least the Ares guys, I probably enjoyed this class the most, as nothing helped to let off steam then to just run something through with a sword. Or a spear. Or simply bash it with your shield if your feeling inspired.

We did this for a solid hour before they told us that they had had enough of us that day, which I can only guess was the Ares way of dismissing people. I shrugged and put my weapons up, walking away with the rest of the group. We were free until dinner, and I decided to go for a little swim, since I had not been able to shower for a while and had not stopped in my persistent sweating.

I went to the camp storage area and was given a pair of swim trunks that fit me. I walked toward the lake and put my toe in, very unmanly maybe, but I hated hot water. I was relived to find this water to actually be pretty cool, and so I took several feet back before launching myself over the walkway, Cannon balling into the water. I allowed myself to go to the bottom of the water, as it was shallow here at the edge. Then I kicked up and burst through the surface with a gush, breathing in the air.

I was not a particularity good swimmer. The only real reason that I ever went for a dip was to clean myself, which was a rather rare thing, as there were not all that many pools of water that I would have considered clean. But this lake was great! In fact, I might even skip shower times just to go for this natural cleansing.

I swam out a little more ways. I was able to dog-paddle very well, but that was pretty much it. It was a very efficient way of swimming, so I never felt the need to expand my swim technique. I really did not get many chances to do so. But with a huge lake right here, then I was definitely going to be doing this at least a hundred times more. I swam maybe a fifty yards away from the shore and laid on my back, just letting myself relax. It was then that I felt it.

I could have sworn I felt something brush against my back. I opened my eyes and looked at the sky, wondering just what could have brushed against my back. I felt nothing for a while, and so I closed my eyes again, letting it slide. But then I felt it again, and I raised my head to look around myself. There was nothing but clear, flat water around me. I waited for another moment, and then felt the current of the water beneath me suddenly shift. I turned around onto my belly and stuck my head into the water, and opened my eyes.

I saw nothing but the blackness of the deeper parts. But in that darkness, I also saw the shape of something, something big. It moved and came closer, and I dimly saw the glow of something. Two glows actually. And then I realized that they were eyes. And I saw movement, which I suddenly realized was a mouth opening...

SWEET MOTHER OF-!

I threw my head up and paddled like all hell toward the shore. I could have sworn that I had beaten Olympic swimmers in speed with the way I was getting over there. Several campers were there, and they were chuckling as I finally made it to shore, expecting to be eaten in one gulp the whole way back. As I forced myself out of the water and ran a few feet away from the edge, they looked at me with a kind of humors pity.

"Ya' gotta watch out. Sometimes the lake holds things we'd rather not meet in it's own element."

"Yeah...I just noticed." they walked away, still laughing and I was left to walk back toward the storage room to return my trunks. When I was fully changed, I realized that the dinner bell had sounded several minutes ago, and I ran to get with myt cabin, which had thankfully just arrived. As we ate, the only talk that seemed to be going on around us was the upcoming capture the flag game. I guessed that it had to be extremely popular to be getting so much hype.

Whatever...I shut my mind up and just ate.

-0-

It was here, the day of the game that had seemed to be all the rage here lately. I was told that Connor would be giving me a quick breifing before we set off to the game, and so I sat on my bunk and watched the others mess with whatever they had to occupy themselves. Did they really need all these creature comforts? I never had anything of the escort, just a wild imagination to keep me entertained.

Connor walked by and sat on the ground next to my sleeping bag. He gave me that classic grin he flashed out constantly.

"So, you need to know how to play capture the flag?"

"Well, it doesn't sound terribly difficult. I need to capture a flag? Am I right?"

Connor shrugged his shoulders.

"Pretty much. Though you don't just capture it, you need to get it over the creek line. You get it over into your team's territory, then it's considered captured. They can get it back before you cross though."

I nodded. Connor leaned a little closer.

"And you know the best part? We actually fight for them. So you can bloody people up and not get in trouble for it."

That got my attention.

"Hmmm...I might like this game..."

Now I sounded like an Ares kid...

Connor got up and patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry about a thing. We've got your back. We'll have ourselves a plan figured out by then. We've got the Athenian kids to thank for that."

"Athenian's?"

"Goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Those are her kids"

"Oh...the wise assess..."

Connor laughed heartily. Then he slapped me on my back.

"There you go! A little competition does good. Well, until later, just chill and play around. The horn will tell us when it's time for dinner, then we party. Camp Half-Blood style!"

Whatever that means...

And so I waited in my cabin or around it. Classes were off today for the preparations for capture the flag, and so we either talked together, played games together, or had sword fights all across the cabin area. Actually, I deduced that the sword fighting might be considered playing around here. And it was honestly more fun than most of the board games being played here and there. I figured this out when fighting one of the Demeter guys, who had actually invited me to participate.

Finally the dinner horn rang, and we slowly made our way toward the dining pavilion. There was much mire excitement in the air, no doubt due to the game about to be played. Chiron was talking with Mr. D, and there was the usual chatter. After I ate my last bite, eating sparingly, as I didn't know exactly what would happen and to keep my stomach light in case, Chiron ganged his hoof on the ground. Everything quieted.

"Heroes! I know you are all highly anticipating tonight. And so let it begin!"

There was a huge cry of approval, and several small groups ran past them, each of them carrying two distinct flags. One had the image of a spear, slick with red blood, and the image of a boar's head. The other was bearing what looked like an own with a tree branch. I wondered if this was suppose to be some sort of kick off, but we were ushered up a moment later.

"Most of you should know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. All magic items are allowed, and no intentional killing or maiming. I shall serve as referee and battlefield medic. Be off now!"

We departed. I followed my cabin to the weapon racks. I looked around at the woods. I would have loved to try out a spear for real, but I was not sure about my effectiveness in these woods. So I opted for a standard sword and shield, holstering a dagger as well. I put some armor on myself, and I cringed at the weight of it. This would never allow me to run at my full speed, which is critical in any situation.

"So what's the plan?" I asked Connor as he was strapping on his armor.

"We're gonna form a wedge and try to blitz through them. Hopefully we can reach their flag with a large group, and then fight our way back across the creek before they get ours."

I shrugged.

"Straight and simple. I guess that's the way to go," I said. I followed my group, wearing the blue colored gear, which I found a somewhat gay color for battle armor, and we walked to the opposite area of the other team. At least I though it was the opposite area, as we never saw the other teams home base. All I knew was that it was across the other side of the creek.

Annabeth was moving among us, forming us up in what seemed like a triangular formation, with her of course at the edge. I guessed this was what was meant by a "wedge". She put me in the very back, which I didn't really have anything against. I never played anything like this before, so having all these bodies around me felt like a good thing. After we were all stationed, she ran forward and took the leading edge.

We stood there in anticipation for something, like a starter's pistol. I looked around and saw that everyone was really tense, like they were about to fight like their lives depended on it. I couldn't believe they would be this tense for something. It was only a game after all. Why so serious?

At that point a distant horn rang, and then all hell broke loose...

Annabeth ran forward first, followed a split second later by the two behind her, and then the lines behind them in turn, all the way. I almost missed my turn, and was forced to run a little faster to catch up. The armor was no comfortable at all, and though my cardio was not slack by any means...I couldn't have gotten away from so many people otherwise...this armor was seriously hampering my speed.

We didn't see any of the enemy team for a few moments, just the rocks and the trees as we raced by them. I was hoping we would never encounter them, and we would simply be able to walk right up to the other flag and race it across the border without the slightest trouble. Oh, how I delude myself at times, for things could never be that easy.

Annabeth had told us to keep silent as we rushed forward, and now I heard why. In the distance, I could hear battle cries and running feet, just ahead of our mass formation of guys. I couldn't see much from the very back, but when they came into view, there was no mistaking them.

There they were...the other team. They were in the red armor and helmets, which I found much more suited to the current gear, or simply less gay looking. They had chosen to move in a line formation, about four ranks deep, and however many wide. They were pounding on their shields and screaming out their cries of battle, probably hoping to intimidate us before we even made contact. But they were seemingly caught off guard by... what I guessed...our unnatural formation.

Annabeth attacked the first one, symbolizing the arrow's edge cutting into the enemy army. Then the two behind her attacked two more of them, and we gradually thrust ourselves into their formation, which was forced to bend to meet our attack. Then I noticed something as I ran forward into the melee. The members of our team that managed to get past the others kept running, toward the rear of our opponents area. I remembered what Connor said. We were going to get past them and capture this flag of theirs, and then fight our way back toward our own turf.

When my turn to fight came, well, it didn't. The formation had cut into our opponents as to which only those on the outsides had to fight. I was in the back row and smack dab in the middle. 0only those on the edge of my particular line had to pivot and take someone on. Me and those immediately around me were free to push onward toward the flag.

And that is precisely what we did, or at least I did. I didn't care so much about the people around me as much as myself. First rule was make sure you stay alive, for if you sacrifice yourself to save another, then what was the point of trying to help them? Now your dead, and they are going to die anyway. Why bother with fate? it was unavoidable, so just let it happen as fast as it could, and let it be quick.

But that was something to mope on later, not while I had a huge fight going on around me. I ran with the group around me, which was getting noticeably smaller and smaller, as more and more had to break off and fight a red team member. But I grit my teeth and kept running, determined to simply dodge past any red team member. I didn't want to waste mt time slugging it out when I was told that all we had to do was get the flag over the border into our territory. Every second that we allowed them to stop us here was another second for one of them to get our flag. So I pushed onward.

Finally we reached the end of the battle line of reds. Me and four others. We ran through the trees until we came to a small clearing. And what did we see but their flag, flowing in the gentle breeze, and the red army at our backs. Halle-freaking-lujah!

We moved at a steady jog toward the flag, and in that moment a figure sprung from the trees near it and stood in front of it, catching us completely off guard. The red team member observed us from under her helmet, and I though I saw a grin cross her face, though I couldn't make out any more details.

"Well, four against one? I'm gonna enjoy this..."

Son of a bitch...it was that girl, Clarisse...god I hated this girl. Wait a minute, did she say "four"?

"There's five of us, moron!" one of the others called out. Clarisse scoffed.

"The new kid there doesn't count."

Oh...she was so going to die...to hell with no maiming...or killing...

She watched us all from her post, her hand grasping a sword and shield. She slowly took off her helmet, probably for dramatic effect, and then reached a hand forward, giving us the bring it on gesture. And we brought...

The first charged her, swinging his sword to the left. Clarisse blocked it and gave him a viscous kick to his chest, which sent him to the ground. Then she brought her foot down violently upon his face, and he then lay motionless. Another came at her in a mad dash, probably trying to overwhelm her all at once. She coolly sidestepped and gave him a viscous elbow blow to the back of his helmet, which sent him to sample the ground.

The next two beside me were a little smarter, and attacked her at once. One was attempting to slash at her while his partner was attempting to make a stab. But Clarisse was as nimble as a rabid dog, as if she did not know which to bite and simply struck at both of them without let-up. The duel between them lasted all of about fifteen seconds before both were moaning on the ground, cuts in their flesh and ribs broken. I stood there, rooted to the spot as she dispatched each of my companions. I was not going to run in there mindlessly like them. They had served their purpose, which was to allow me to observe how she fought. And to my dismay, she did not seem to have a viable weakness. This was going to be hell...but like hell I would back away...

I slowly stepped over my fallen comrades and followed her as she walked backward toward her flag post, grinning at me in that fashion of "I'm gonna rip you a new asshole", or simply "I'm gonna enjoy this...". I kept my expression carefully neutral, though I doubt my eyes were following my mind's example.

"If your smart at all, you'll turn and run," she said. I snarled in an almost animal-like fashion, which surprised even me.

"If your at all smart, you'll be on your knees right now, begging for mercy."

She seemed surprised at my challenge. But she tilted her head and gave me the glare of a thousand bolts.

"If you think that you are going to scare me punk, you've got another thing coming..."

Oh how I wanted her to say something along those lines. This bitch had humiliated me. She deserved to suffer for that. And she was going to suffer, oh she would suffer.

I charged her, and our blades clanged together louder than the battle raging behind us. I growled with the tension of our match, both of us trying to out muscle the other. She may have been well muscled, but I was a guy and had been living in the woods for all my life. Manual labor to survive gets the muscles on the tough side. I gave one more surge of effort and began to force her to give her ground. She howled with rage, obviously not used to being beaten in a test of raw strength. I myself was surprised at just how strong I was right now. But I would not argue with the results.

I surged forward and threw her off of my sword, forcing her to stumble several feet back, and then I attacked her with the fury of a wounded wolf. I slashed at her from every conceivable angle, forcing my blade to go faster and faster, and she seemed to be hard pressed to keep up. And then I felt it, oh how I was feeling it. That surge of power in me, the tints of red in my vision, and the feelings of bloodlust soaring in my veins.

This was dangerous. I had lost control once and had almost beaten a camper to death. But the feeling was so good, so powerful. I found that I simply could not will myself to fight it, for it was giving me skills and strength and speed that i would never had achieved. Whatever it was, I was in love with it now. I could not hide that fact. I now embraced the power running through me. This...berserk.

I lunged forward to cut at her face, and my blade made contact with her unprotected left cheek. She screamed in pain for a moment as the cut dribbled blood down onto her neck. but that did not stop her from making a slash at my own face, and I felt the very edge cut across my forehead. It did not bleed as badly as hers, but it stung enough to make me yelp in pain. She grinned in delight at my cry and made an overhead slash, which snapped me out of my pain and I blocked it effortlessly.

"How long have you been here, punk?" She asked while holding my blade down. We fought a moment more before she backed off suddenly, probably trying to mask a moment of recovery with trash talking.

"About four or five days, why?" I asked.

"How are you so good then?"

I couldn't help but grin. If I was getting under this bitch's skin, then I would make sure to infect every pore that I could before I was done. I shrugged dramatically.

"I guess I have a natural flair for it."

"But only children of major gods have natural flair for it!" She protested, her face turning red.

Oh I was enjoying this...

"Then I guess your dad...what's his name again?"

"Ares. He is the god of war punk. I'd watch my mouth..."

"My mouth is firmly attached to the bottom of my face, just above my chin, if you happen to notice. I cannot watch it. But I will say one thing. if you say that only children of major gods have a natural flait then I guess I must be the son of some mighty god then? Right?"

"Hell no, punk. Your a shrimp. And I'm gonna crush you!"

"Oh, that is some talk coming from someone who apparently is not the child of a major god."

Her face turned a shade of red more red than I had seen on apples or tomatoes. Her teeth were gritted together so hard that I was shocked that she would be able to speak. Actually it was a miracle that her teeth did not grin to dust in the clenching of her mouth, so intense was the pressure. She seemed to have to force the words out.

"What...did...you...say?"

I smiled full out. Oh how joyful it is to rouse the bitch!

"I...said...that...you...are...not...the...child...of...a...major...god...then," I said slowly, imitating her. The air suddenly grew deathly quiet, and I thought that someone must have cast some kind of silencing spell or something over the area. Then Clarisse opened her mouth and out let the loudest battle cry I had ever heard. Not even my throat had made such noises in all the times I screamed. Then she rushed at me faster than I ever thought someone could move, and her sword was coming down on the top of my head so fast that only a madman of speed could have avoided it.

But I did not avoid it, I met it. My own sword was up and in a protective gesture the moment her's began to force downward. The clang of the steel was so loud and so forceful that my ears rang and my bones vibrated from the force of the blow. But I refused to let anything get in my way of beating this big bully and making her eat the dirt on the ground.

As we struggled, I realized that she suddenly seemed to have grown stronger, and the strange red haze that seemed to come from her had turned darker. Apparently this "blessing of Ares" was reflecting her mood in it's color, and it was giving her incredible prowess. But I had something too, and I could already feel it's power beginning to truly burn within me.

That feeling was rising once more, more powerful than anything it had ever felt like. My vision was blood colored, and my body felt no pain or exhaustion. I felt literally unstoppable, like nothing at all could effect me. In the pushing match we were having, despite all it's intensity, I could not help but smile, and Clarisse saw it. And for some reason, she shuddered for a moment? Was there something about my smile that got her attention? Well, who cared anyway? This felt great!

I thrust my blade upward, and to even my surprise, she was forced back. She recovered and slashed at me with all the fury one would expect of a wild animal. She was shrieking in rage as she did so, and I blocked and parried each and every one of her blows. This power in me was giving me strength and speed that was unlike anything I had ever before witnessed here, and anywhere to be frank. She made a slash to the left of my face and instead of blocking her sword with my own in my right hand, I reached out and grabbed her wrist with my left. Her low was stopped cold and she was caught off guard by the unexpected move. Then I squeezed.

She shrieked again, only this time in agony, and I felt the tendons in her wrist virtually melt in the pressure of my grip. The fire in her eyes died out and they were closed tightly as tears of pain began to rapidly form. Her sword clattered to the ground and I released her wrist, and it immediately was clung to by her other hand, and in her pain she fell to the ground, on her knees. Good, I wanted her to beg if I could make her.

I placed my sword at her throat. Would I kill her? Something in me wanted to, but I fought against it for once. Killing was something I could not do to another person, at least here in this camp. But this bitch was going to get her own, no doubt about that. I smiled mercilessly at her as she cradled her wrist. She looked up at me again, and I was pleased to see the tears of pain. But her question came at me more forcefully than someone who was tearing up.

"What...just what the hell are you?"

The million dollar question...

"I don't know, but I do know one thing..."

I leaned in close to her, a smile on my face.

"I win..."

Then I brought the butt of my sword handle upon the back of her head. Her face was thrust forward by the blow, and her eyes dulled. She made a weak cry and steadied her self with her uninjured hand. But I quickly gave her a second blow, and then a third as she fell. When she lay on the ground, she did not move again, at least while I was there.

I could not help myself. I threw back my head and screamed in joy, in victory. This bitch had beaten me and humiliated me open my first day here, and now I took joy in her defeat. I hoped that this would stay burned in her memory for a while, my face leaning close to hers, and hiding just behind her eyelids as she slept for the next few nights.

Revenge was a bitch...

I heard a sound near me and I whirled around, my sword in an attack position and my legs spread for balance, but it was only that Annabeth girl, staring at me. Her sword hung limply at her side and her mouth was slightly open in shock. I relaxed and looked at her, waiting for her to say something. She swallowed and then spoke, her voice in a low whisper.

"How did you do that?"

"Say what?"

"I said how did you do that?" She said, pointing at the fallen Clarisse.

"I beat her at her own game. We fought and she lost."

"But she has the blessing of Ares..."

I shrugged.

"Fat load of good that did her."

She walked a few feet toward the flag and reached for it, then glanced toward me. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"What?" I asked, worried that something might have happened to me that I wasn't aware of. Did Clarisse get a lucky blow in?

"Einar...your eyes..."

"Huh?"

"Your eyes...their red..."

I tilted my head in confusion over what she was saying. My eyes were red? The traces of the...rage that had helped me finally beat Clarisse was still lingering in me, as though the sounds of battle nearby was keeping it alive, just in case. Maybe it came when I was threatened by something, or when battle was near. But right now I wanted to know why Annabeth was looking so shocked at my face.

She walked over and put her shield to my face. The polished metal allowed me to make out my reflection. It was not as good as a mirror, but what I could make out was good enough for my jaw to droop in shock.

My eyes were blood red, actually seeming to almost glow a red color. I blinked several times and it was still there. I closed my eyes tightly and shook my head, and when I opened them again, the glow was once more there, and still as bright as ever. I looked at Annabeth, lost for words.

"I...I don't know why their red..."

Annabeth nodded.

"Don't worry. We can speak to Chiron later."

I nodded.

"Sure..yeah..." I glanced at the flag. "You'd better get that flag."

"Actually, your the one who took down Clarisse. Why don't you take it?" She asked, a slight smile on her face. I shook my head.

"You'd know better than me. I'd never make it through the crowd. Your smaller and slimmer. I can cover you as you run."

She nodded, seeing my logic. She took the flag, and took off the opposite direction. Before I followed her however, I turned toward the fallen Clarisse, who still had not stirred. I gather up the spit in my mouth and spat on her.

"Bitch..."

Then I took off after Annabeth. I caught up to her in seconds, and we entered the battle zone immediately afterward. It was still gong hot and heavy after all this time, with campers hacking and slashing and blocking and swearing. Some on both sides saw the flag in Annabeth's arms. Those on our team, myself included, jumped behind her to cover her recovery. The other team surged forward with renewed strength, seeing their flag disappearing before their eyes to the other side. I was forced to fight several other, thought this time I was in the middle of our little phalanx and none of my opponents were anything compared to who I had just defeated at their original flag position.

The little rage in me grew slightly as I fought, though I did not need to make much use of it to defeat many of these guys. This was more of a wild dog fight than an organized battle. I tended to use my shield for offense too, bashing faces with it. I loved the sound it made when it connected with a face. Suddenly the couch horn blew. I looked over to see both flags dimly waved at our side of the creek. And I knew that just had to mean that we had won. Judging from the scream of joy coming from the throat of everyone wearing blue armor, that assumption was correct. I threw my own head back and howled my cry of victory along with the rest. For just a moment, I felt like I might belong...

One hour after the victory, we were still happy as could be. The Ares cabin had been utterly humiliated, and their counselor was in the infirmary with a shattered wrist and a bad concussion. The others had locked themselves in their cabin and refused to come out, and I did not blame them. Drinks were being passed around and I slugged away with everyone else. One guy clapped me on the back.

"Hey man, I heard it was you who took down Clarisse. I gotta say, you are the man bro!"

I felt happy. I had not been here for very long, and now I actually felt like I might somewhat belong somewhere. Joy was not the word that came to my mind right now. I felt what might have been a tear beginning to form but I rubbed it away and grinned.

"Thanks man," I replied.

We spent another long chunk of time celebrating before the party gradually died down. I sat on a log around the fire, sipping some soda from a goblet, and staring into the fire. The happiness I was feeling was great, and I wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible, but yet something else was forcing it's way into my mind, and I could not help but dwell on it.

What exactly was this power I seemed to have? I always had good senses. I never got cold. But this was something relatively new to me, this strange kind of rage. No, it was more like bloodlust. I was feeling it forming when I was fighting, and then taunting Clarisse. I felt that I wanted to get her mad, because I, for some reason, wanted to fight her with her at the peak of her abilities. It was as though I needed to fight her in the most intense way possible. And when she finally did strike in rage, the strange bloodlust quelled in me and exploded, filling me with such speed and power...

And when I had beaten her, after crushing her wrist and having her fall upon her knees before me, I actually felt the urge to kill her. I managed to suppress it, but the fact that it occurred to me was almost...frightening. Part of me wanted to spill her blood, to watch it color the ground beneath me, and to enjoy seeing the light die in her eyes. I shook my head, forcing the imagined scene away.

"Einar!" I heard my name called.

I turned to see Chiron waving at me from the Big House. He looked at me with a serious expression, and I wondered if I might have done something wrong or something might have happened that he was connecting to myself. I slowly stood up and marched down toward the Big House, to stand in front of Chiron. From this close he did not seem so serious, or at least angry, though he looked at me with an intense gaze. I stood practically at attention, or at least what I had seen military people do, and stared straight ahead, not looking him in the eyes.

"You do not need to be afraid to look me in the eyes Einar. I am not angry with you, although there is something that trouble me."

I looked up to see concern in his eyes. This guy...or half-horse mutant...seemed to have the most gentle soul I had ever encountered. I had seen some of the world's darkest streets, avoiding rapists, murderers, and muggers. I had heard the scream of people as something was happening to them, but I kept my head down and did not get involved, for I knew it would lead to more trouble s than I had at that moment. But this Chiron had the most tender and loving mind that I had seen in a very long time.

"What do ya' need?" I asked. Chiron glanced around for a moment as if he did not wish to be overheard.

"Einar, Annabeth Chase reported your fight with Clarisse. I am amazed that you were able to defeat her in combat. The blessing of Ares gives her extreme combat prowess."

"I guess I just got lucky."

"I do not think that luck had anything to do with it. Annabeth told me that after you dealt several rather unnecessary blows to her head, that she saw your eyes. Do you know what she told me?"

I did not say anything, feigning ignorance. Chiron sure was not buying it though.

"I think you know what she told me Einar. Your eyes were glowing red. Almost as if you had been possessed by an outside force."

"But I wasn't."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. I remember everything. But it's like when I told you about that feeling I get when I fight somebody. it's like..." I trailed off.

"Like what Einar?"

"It's like I...crave battle..."

Chiron cocked an eyebrow.

"If I did not know better, then I would assume you to be a child of Ares, like Clarisse. But you say that you have never before seen the symbol of anything above your head at any time of your life? It should have happened at your thirteenth birthday."

I shook my head.

"Do you have any idea why my eyes would be glowing?" I asked him. He sighed.

"I wish I knew Einar. But I have never before heard of anything like that occurring, and of anyone ever defeating a child of Ares with their father's blessing. But from what Annabeth told me, she saw you enter some sort of berserk like behavior, and you were, as she put it, crazy."

"Crazy?"

"There was no other word for it, she said."

I could do nothing but nod and gaze innocently, for I knew of nothing to say to explain it. I could not explain something that I had no understanding of. Chiron placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Einar, I am serious. Whatever ability you have seems to be rather volatile. I would strongly urge you to avoid confrontation with anyone not on training grounds, and even then to take it easy. You have badly wounded two campers already, though both of it was done in training. Do not allow your passion to get ahead of you."

I nodded and he patted my shoulder before sending me off to my cabin. I walked back toward it, my mind wondering over the events.

I knew that Chiron was right, that i would have to learn to control whatever it was within me. But whatever it was had allowed me to defeat one of this camp's best fighters. Something thast helpful simply could not be ignored. What If I worked on controlling it and then using it in increments whenever I needed to? To be honest, that made much more sense to me.

I entered the cabin. The door creaked open. It was pitch dark. I growled in annoyance and tried to feel my way around. But I was caught off guard by the sudden turning on of the lights. I was even more caught off guard by the sudden scream that filled it's walls.

_ "Surprise!"_

_ "What the fu-!"_

The whole cabin was there, along with some from the others, and they all rushed forward, patting me on the back and saying good job. Several female campers, probably from that Aphrodite cabin I had been told about, came forward and kissed my cheek so fast that I could have sworn that there was a guy in there somewhere. And to my shock there probably was.

"What's all this about?" I asked as soon as I found my voice.

"We just wanted to give you a little thank you for finally beating down Clarisse. Ever since she got her father's blessing, she had been one of the most stuck-up bitches in camp. Well, you finally showed her!"

I couldn't find words right now. When I did, all I could manage...

"Yeah...I guess I did..."

"And to show you are appreciation, we baked you a cake!"

"Cake?" I asked. The whole cabin suddenly looked at me like I was turning blue right before their eyes.

"Yeah...a cake...don't you know what that is?" One of them asked.

"Not...really..."

"Well then, you are in for a treat my man!"

They guided me toward a small table where a strange type of food was lying. I was pretty much forced into a chair and made to get as plate full of the blue stuff. I tentatively placed a bit of it into my mouth.

This...was...the...most...delicious...thing...I...had...ever...had...

The smile of ecstasy was enough for them. They cheered and clapped me on the back more.

"I knew you'd like it!"

"What is this?" I asked, already taking a second bite.

"It's blue cake, courtesy of Percy."

"Oh...well, thanks guys."

"No problem man!"  
Slowly the cabin emptied of all non-Hermes campers. The Stolls continued to talk about the victory over the Red Team as if that was the championship event of this place. Maybe it was for all I knew. All I knew was that this strange blue stuff had to be the absolute best thing I had ever eaten. I ate half of it before I finally forced myself to halt.

That night, I lay in my sleeping bag, loving the coolness of the cabin in the lovingly cold night air. I had a smile on my face as all the feelings of the day were being resent through my body. i closed my eyes and embraced the darkness of the night. That was when that voice spoke...

_"You have done well, Einar..."_

I knew most people would be freaked out if a voice suddenly started talking to them from nowhere. But for some reason, this voice did not set off an alarm within me. My eyes did not fly open and I did not suddenly explode upward to see who had spoken. This strange female voice was the most soothing I had ever heard.

_"I knew that you would triumph. I am proud of you...my son..."_

Son? Who was this? The soothing qualities. The sharp power. Just whose voice was it? And why would it think that I am it's son?

_ "I will meet you very soon. Stay on your guard..."_

And then it was gone...


	6. Mother Of The Cold

Chapter 6: Mother Of The Cold

It was strange to wake up this morning...

Strange as in the whole cabin was emptied out and there was not a soul to see. I was within my sleeping bag, enjoying the coolness of the cabin in the night, when I woke up without seeming to know that I had even fallen asleep. I had heard that people could sometimes fall asleep with their eyes open. But this was something else. I don't even think I was asleep for a second, and then poof, it was daytime. And my cabin was empty. Which probably means I missed breakfast...

Grumbling about my empty stomach, and it returning the grumbling, I stood up and stretched. My muscles screamed with relief and I took several deep breathes before I walked out of the cabin. The air was cool enough that I did not immediately begin to sweat like a madman.

I walked out and realized that apparently, Saturdays were a free day. Campers were roving about the cabin areas, talking, flirting, doing all sorts of camper type things. I spotted one guy making out with his girlfriend and snorted. Seriously, people just needed to get a room.

I was walking past toward the archery range, seeking to spend some time with my little toy that I got in a dream, which I had still not found out from who, and smelled something. I had smelled something like this before, but never like this. I swirled to the side and saw it.

One of the cabins was built almost like a greenery, with the roof made of glass. Along the side of it was a row of flowers. And it was these flowers that caught my attention. I walked toward them in almost a trance. The smell was so...

I stood there for how long, well, to hell with time. This smell was the best thing I had ever smelt, even better than food. The smell of good food had absolutely nothing on this. If there was a heaven, then this was what it smelled like!

"So you like them, do you?" a soft female voice asked.

I whirled around to see Katie had sneaked up behind me, which was weird as that usually was a very hard thing to do, and was holding a basket of flowers in her hands. She wore gardening gloves and loose fitting jeans and T-shirt, and the smile she wore on her face was the best thing on her. This girl could melt ice with that smile...

"Oh," I said, taken off guard by her sudden appearance. "Yeah, these are real good. They smell nice."

"Well, I am glad you like them."

Shew walked past me and sat down next to the dirt. Taking a kind of hand-held shovel, she began to make small holes in the unoccupied areas of dirt. Then she would carefully lay a flower into each, using the dirt to make sure that it stayed upright. She looked back at me and grinned.

"Well, you can either go do something else beside stare at me, or you could help me plant these."

"Huh..oh..sure, yeah."

I got down and she handed me the shovel. I copied the same procedure she seemed to be doing earlier, digging and planting the flower in. Then I covered it with dirt and made sure it was upright. She nodded at my work.

"Not bad planting. You think your mother might be Demeter?"

I shrugged.

"I don't know?"

"Did you ever get a sign? You should have gotten one by now."

"What do you mean?"

"You should have had some symbol burn above your head for a few moments. It's your god parent's symbol. Did you ever see one?"

"If I saw one, either I was drunk or hallucinating..."

She gave me a quizzical look, like she was trying to decipher if I was being serious or not. But she did not have much of a chance to as at that moment a mechanical roar filled the air and a van drove into the cabin area at what seemed like damn near seventy miles an hour. It made a sudden swerve in front of the Demeter cabin and dirt went flying everywhere, including all over myself and Katie. The can window lowered and a grinning Travis Stoll stuck his head out.

"Hey Katie, you wanna go for a ride? Connor got the can here hot wired and we are just gonna go for a little spin!"

Katie wiped the dirt from her eyes and stood up. I had never before seen such fire in her eyes. She looked at Travis like she was going to vaporize him right out of existence with her gaze. She slowly stomped over to Travis, and apparently he saw her mood change and darted back into the van. But it was too late, and Katie had reached the open window before they could close it. She reached in and dragged his upper body out of the van, surprising me with her strength. But people got a lot stronger when they were angry. I was testament to that.

"If you so much as ever do that again, and cover my flowers with dirt, then you are going to know pain like you never before have felt! There is actually some things I have been wondering are anatomically possible, and if you so much as think of doing this again, then you are going to be the guinea pig! Do I make myself clear!"

Travis nodded frantically.

"Yes, yes you do!"

"Good..."

She threw him back in the van. The window raised immediately and it took off out of the cabin area, dodging various buildings and demi-gods, before making it through the woods and out of sight. Chiron came galloping up, his face showing either extreme anger or simply extreme annoyance. He really did not have that "face to kill".

"Sorry," he said as he surveyed the scene and galloped back to the Big House, probably to orange a party to get the two hooligans back and the van before they wrecked it somehow. I turned back to Katie and she sighed.

"Those two get on my nerves more than the Ares people. Always making trouble, always stealing..."

I nodded in sympathy.

"I can see what you mean. But there are far worse people out there than some innocent pranksters."

"I wouldn't say they're completely innocent."

"Oh trust me, I have seen people that would make those two simple little bunny rabbits. At least they are doing their pranks in good humor. I have seen people who did some pretty messed up stuff just for the heck of it."

Katie seemed confused by my reveal.

"Where were you before you got here?" She asked.

It was now my turn to sigh.

"I lived in the woods for a long time. I never really knew my mother. All I can remember is...like a feeling I guess. I just knew that she was there for a while and then she was gone. I never knew my father."

Katie nodded, her eyes twinkling slightly in understanding.

"I stayed in a few orphanages for a while, but to be honest, there was always something about the wilderness that called to me. Don't ask me to explain it, it just does. It's like it's my home, not in some four walls and a roof. To me...the sky is the roof."

Katie suddenly smiled.

"And when it rains, you must think of it as a very leaky roof!"

I chuckled.

"Yeah, that I do."

There were cries of alarm, and all over, campers suddenly stopped what they were doing. Some ran over to one side of the cabin area, toward the woods. I looked toward Katie, and she raised and lowered her eyebrows.

"What's the deal?" I asked, pointing toward the gathering crowd.

"Oh, its them."

"Them?"

"The hunters..."

"Hunters?"

"Yeah, the hunters of Artemis."

I looked back toward the woods and saw a group of young teenage girls gradually begin to emerge from it. Each of them was dressed in a strange silvery jacket and all glowed in a strange silver light. The girl in the lead was some mid-teen with short black hair and a punk rock shirt instead of the standard silver coat. She carried herself very well, but there was an aura of...well, she did not have the same as the other girls.

There was some snickers of disgust going on through both groups. I got the feeling that these two factions did not particularly like one another. Katie just went back to tending her garden as I watched the group of girls slowly make their way to the camp. The group of campers parted slightly, allowing them to funnel through them. I could almost see the tension between these two groups like heat waves from the ground.

Slowly, they made their way into the cabin areas and entered that silvery colored one, which no one had been in that I had seen. One of them though, the black haired gangster looking leader, walked over to the Athena cabin. She knocked on the door and it opened, and their was a cry of joy.

"Thalia!"

Annabeth jumped out of the Athena cabin, and embraced the young girl. They both laughed and hugged each other tightly, obviously having been close for some time. I would need to find out who that girl was soon, and if we were going to have a capture the flag game soon, then I would need to know just what she was capable of. An unknown enemy was a dangerous enemy...

Percy also ran up and the two embraced as well. The three then walked off, and I could hear from their excited chatter that they were very close. I decided that I needed some archery to clear my mind. Walking back to my cabin, I got my new bow out, and ran my hand lovingly over it's almost steel feel. Really, it felt like it was made of steel rather than wood.

I made it to the archery range. Without missing a beat, I set up the target the very farthest it could go. Then I began to fire. And it was the same as always. I hit the target like it was guided by some hand toward it's target.

I ran out of arrows and went back to the supply shack nearby to get some more. When I returned I found several of the silvery clad huntresses already there, and they seemed to be having the same luck as me with their archery. Perfection essentially.

Alright, I could deal with them. We both just stay out of each others way and if we have to speak to each other, than I would keep it stragiht and to the point. No need in trifling with any of them until I knew what they were capable of.

They kept firing their arrows, and I kept firing mine. We both were making bull's-eyes without let-up, and several of them were giving me the eye. I actually grinned to myself. For some reason, I liked showing them up a little, based on their reputation. There was nothing like making the giant fall, and it was a long fall.

I kept firing until my present quiver was empty. Then I went back and got even more. I might need to change my target soon, as it was getting that porcupine syndrome in that one little spot. I walked over and changed targets, mindful not to accidentally step into the huntresses firing lane. Apparently my skill was annoying them for reasons unknown, as I swear I was feeling their eyes burning into my back as I walked toward my target post.

I did what I had to do and began to fire once more. At the same moment, the huntress next to me fired as well. Both arrows hit their respective targets at the same time. Without thinking, I reached behind me and drew another, aiming and firing, and hitting once more. The huntress next to me did the same, and her speed increased at the exact same rate as my own.

This happened three times more, both of us drawing an arrows and firing it off a little faster each time. This suddenly became a pissing contest. And I was not one to back down easily, as several campers here had just learned in rather harsh ways.

Again and again we both fired. And when I reached back for one last arrow, I found my quiver empty. I had shot off my last shot and now was just groping at empty leather. Fortunately, the huntress was out as well. She then gave me a look of anger and looked like she was thinking about drawing a sword and hacking into me.

"Just what is your problem, boy?" She asked, sneering at the word boy.

I had been talked to in such a manner countless ways. But not once had I ever been attacked because of my gender. That was an all new thing for me, an all new insult. And I felt my blood boil at the jib.

"Just what the hell do you think is the problem, girl?" I snarled back. It was unoriginal, but the best I could think of at the moment.

"The problem is you. You couldn't stand me being the superior shot-!"

I cut her off right there.

"Excuse me? Are you not seeing the targets? I hit every single bulls-eye possible!"

She growled but walked off. I growled right back, prompting a one-fingered salute from the huntress.

"Raise that finger again, and I'm breaking it off!" I called. She did not reply. I guess I won that little match. Satisfied, I finished firing off my arrows that i recently got, and made sure to get a top hit every time. God, I just loved to rub it in.

Percy Jackson came by and stopped for a moment, watching me bulls-eye the targets. He seemed moderately impressed. After a while of watching he walked over toward me and stopped next to me. I paused and glanced over.

"From the way your shooting is, I'd guess you were a child of Apollo."

"Who's he?" I asked. I'd never heard of "Apollo". Percy chuckled.

"He'd probably be upset you didn't know him. He kind of likes his popularity. But to answer your question, he is the god of archery. And music and healing."

I let that sink in and nodded. Then I went back to shooting. Percy continued to watch my deeds with bow and arrow.

"How are you this good, this early?" He asked.

"I didn't just start. I've been doing this fore a while."

"How?"

"If you had to kill an animal for food, and you only had a few shots, you would certainly make sure you hit your target, wouldn't you?" I replied. He nodded slowly, apparently understanding. He glanced back at the cabins and grinned.

"Annabeth's calling me. See ya."

"Later."

He walked off, and I finished my current quiver. I decided that was enough for one day. I quickly stowed the empty quivers back and began to walk back to my cabin. I heard shouting and glanced over at cabin eight to see the fuss.

A girl was shouting at the huntresses about something. She was an exceptionally good looking girl, probably from the Aphrodite cabin. She pointed toward her own cabin and then at one of the huntresses and continued yelling. Several of the huntresses were yelling right back, though many of them were laughing.

"What's going on there?" I asked a passing girl. She glanced over at the commotion and shrugged.

"Hunters probably messed with the Aphrodite girls again. Those two group hat each other more than the rivalry between the Big Three."

I had no idea what the "Big Three" was but I nodded to her, and she walked off. The shouting match between the two group continued for quite some time. I had to admit, those Aphrodite campers could be really determined when they wanted to be. But eventually they sulked off, and the huntresses retreated into their cabin.

The day went on without much more scenes played out. I mostly walked around camp, occasionally joining in the various games that were played. I went so far as to spar with one of thew Ares campers, who after my defeat of their leader still wanted me to fight him. Balls like that could not go unanswered, and so I fought him. Thankfully, that "rage" of mine never rose, and so our fight ended with a draw.

The day slowly ticked down. Night came quickly, and so did dinner. I was still the human disposal unit, as one of the campers quipped. Everything that appeared on my plate was consumed within what seemed like seconds. The huntresses ate at the Artemis table, and I could feel several of them looking in my direction. Apparently that bitch had told her comrades about me. Well, let em' squirm.

Night arrived and the night was actually colder than usual. So likewise, I had no argument at all. To be honest, the drop in temperature felt to me what a blazing inferno would feel like to someone caught scantily clothed in the artic. A life-saver.

The camp gradually died down for the night. Campers returned to their respective cabins, and I was soon the only one, out of all the campers and now the hunters, to be sitting at the fire, though well away from it. The cold air was my fire.

In fact, I could almost feel as though I could sleep here. Right here in the cold air. And before I could react to these new thoughts, that is exactly what began to happen. I felt my eyes getting heavy. Then heavier and heavier. I knew that I should probably go to the cabin before too long, but it was getting hard to move now. The cold air was so inviting.

Before I could permanently lose conciseness, I laid my head down and closed my eyes, my last thought being that no one would hopefully discover me here...

_Wake!_

That voice. That powerful feminine voice.

_Wake up!_

There was that strange woman's voice saying things to me again. I felt the sleep slowly begin to evaporate. It was as if I were in a fog. A very dense fog that was slowly being burned away around me. I raised my head.

_Get up!_

There it was again...

Finally, the sleep was fully out of me. It was still night, probably only a few hours later. There was very little light anywhere, and so I could only navigate by moonlight. But my life had seemed pretty much lit by moonlight my whole life, and so I began to walk around.

Where was I going? I had not the slightest clue. But there was something edging me on, as if I had a hand that was pushing me from behind.

_Get a sword..._

I should get a sword? Why would I need one? But I did not question that voice. I made my way toward the armory, where the swords used for training were kept. For some reason, it was unlocked, and I picked one that felt good in my hand. Then the strange feeling egged me toward the camp border.

Where the hell was I thinking I was going?

I walked toward the camp's border, and made my way past the guard dragon. It was happily snoring away, probably thinking of roasted sheep. Half-Blood Hill stretched onward before me and I walked over it and outside of the camp's border. And i still was not sure what exactly compelled me to do so. I didn't feel like i was controlled, but I felt as if there was a definite third party working on me. And I did not like it. I did not like it at all...

I stood in a street that went past the camp. There was not a vehicle in sight. I stood there in the middle of the road and felt compelled to wait for something to happen. Whatever had brought me here had better show itself quickly. I wasn't feeling compelled anymore, so I was ready to bolt the second something unnatural showed it's face, and that was exactly what happened.

I got a strange feeling in my gut, as if danger was coming and my body caught it before my mind did. I felt as though the air itself changed, from nice cold to a kind of evil feeling, and it tasted different as well, darker. It was as if a wave of blackness descended over an already dark land.

_Hide!_

That voice suddenly sounded urgent and frantic. So I concluded that the best course of action, of course, would be to obey it. I dove behind the nearest tree, the thickest one nearby.

Then I heard footsteps. It sounded as if two very large things were coming toward me. I finally broke out of my trance of listening and suddenly dived behind the the trees nearby, hoping that I could evade whatever the hell was coming down the road right at this moment. And then they came into view...

Imagine the ugliest humanoid being you could think of. Rose O' Donnell might come to mind, but think of something even uglier than the ugliest possible human being. Hell, even badly deformed humans were princesses to what was coming into view. Hell, they'd be veritable goddesses.

Their skin was deformed as badly as could be, and seemed to be of a slightly blue shade. Claws sprouted from their hands, and they looked as though they could rip someone to shreds with but one swipe of their hands. Their mouths were open slightly, and I could make out not teeth but viscous looking fangs. I shuddered at the tints of red that I saw in them. And the fact that they were at least eight feet tall only added to their rather intimidating feel.

And the dark feeling I got as I hid from sight, pressed like hell against a tree. I was too paralyzed with might have been fear, or maybe instinct, to move to a better hiding spot. And they'd see me when I made my move. So there I was, pressed against a tree with two mutants that looked worse than Chiron's horse problem.

They stopped in front of my hiding tree. I was pressed so tightly against that tree that i swear the bark was going to embed itself in my back that would show for years. They both stopped and sniffed the air.

I felt my heart suddenly beat about twice as fast as it was before, and that was already more intense than ever. If these things could smell me, then I was pretty much fucked if I tried to hide. My only hope would be to fight. One of the creatures let out a laugh that sounded between a wheeze and a dog barking.

"So this is the border to that camp?" It asked, supposedly of his companion.

"Yes. This is the edge of that camp for those Olympian's whelps. Can't say that I am impressed."

"And this is where they train?"

"That is what they say. Though I bet those little Greeks are shagging little boys more than training!"

They both howled in laughter, and it really did sound like a dog having a barking fit. I winced at the tone. How long did I have to hide here?

"And the boy is within?"

"He was, but not anymore..." I heard the other answer, this time in a much more hushed and low tone...

Oh shit...

"Because he is right...there!"

It felt as though the tree around me exploded. But it was not a bomb that destroyed it. It was the claws of the creature directly on the other side of it. I threw myself forward and rolled, saving myself from being squashed by the top part as it fell. I hastily stood up and took a fighting stance facing the two creatures, who laughed heartily at my gesture of defiance.

"Hah! The little whelp thinks that he can take us on!"

"Children of the gods always think they are invincible. Well little whelp, we are going to give you an education in pain. And then we are going to deliver what's left of you to him."

"Who's him? And just what the hell are you!" I asked. They chuckled.

"What we are is not important, son of the winter. What is important is what you wish to have with you on your funeral pyre..."

_Brace yourself my son! I am almost there!_

The strong female voice did not steel me, but I knew that whatever these things were, they could not have me without one hell of a fight. I raised my sword in both hands, ready to deliver a blow with all my strength.

"Well then, if you want some, then come get some. You butt-ugly son of a bitch!" I snarled, suddenly feeling confident now. Because that "fury" was beginning to grow. And for something like this, it seemed as though I was going to need it.

The creatures grinned grotesque grins, and then charged, both to opposite sides. i knew they were trying to divide my attention, and I knew that if I were to win this, I would need to find some way of keeping them both in my sight. But that was next to impossible with all the open area around us. And If I tried to flee back to camp the things would simply grab me from behind.

That voice said that she was almost here. But who was she? Could it be that woman from my dream? The same woman that has been talking to me in my head for some time? It was the only chance I had right now. I had to try and delay these things. So I decided on a different tactic then one would probably think for this situation.

Most would probably attack full out at this point. To try and overwhelm one opponent before the other could muster a full strike. But I knew that if these things could

shatter a large tree with one swing of their fists, then there was no way to quickly overpower them. So I decided to do a little "war of the flea".

I lunged forward and struck at the nearest one. It laughed as I struck at it few times, easily maneuvering around my thrusts and dodging my slash. But I did not press the attack for more than a second or two, as I immediately jumped to the side and ran a few feet forward, in order to put some distance between us. The purpose was not to withdraw, but to make sure that the other did not make mice-meat of my backside. I needed to keep both of them in my sight as much as possible.

For the size of them, they were pretty speedy. The moment I turned around I was forced to jump to the left, before one of them brought their fist down upon the pavement of the road, resulting in an immediate pothole. I struck at his chest and made contact, the sword making a shallow gash across his chest. But that only served to seriously piss him off, as he made several fast swings at the center of my mass, which I found very hard to block. Actually, I did not block at all, only jumped back with each successive swing of his fists.

And at that moment, I lost sight of one of them. But he was not far, in fact, while I had been performing my ballerina act trying to not get my stomach punched straight through, he had run up behind me. When I recovered from my last jump back, I felt a knock on the back of my head, a clearly quarter strength blow to my head. But it was enough to force my vision to turn black from the shock and to lose all focus on what was going one. The two stood back and watch me bend over at the waist, blinking to clear my head.

Everything was suddenly fuzzy. My head was light, and I couldn't focus on anything. That knock on my head had taken it out of me, and now it was probably going to be fatal. I heard their feet approaching me and braced for that final blow.

Then they stopped. My head and vision was slowly returning, and I saw them both staring at something past me. In confusion, I looked over at what they were looking at.

On the road, about a dozen yards away, there was the figure of a woman. I couldn't make out any details, but whoever she was, there was a sense of sheer, awesome power emanating from her. And yet, for some reason, I felt strangely relived to see her, even if I had absolutely no idea who she was.

The two creatures did not seem so sure of themselves right now. But one of them still snarled at the new arrival.

"You can't stop us! This boy is ours!"

"Get away from him..." the woman said, her voice as smooth and powerful as winter's roar. I strangely thought it sounded familiar, but I could not quite place it. "This boy is ours! He is yours no more!"

"Get...away...from...my...son..." The woman said, emphasizing every word. She...wait a minute. Did she just call me her son?

The two creatures moved away from me and advanced toward the figure. They spread out, clearly going to attempt to surround her on two sides, as they had done to me. And then one of them rushed her before the other could maneuver around her.

As it charged, a roar in it's throat, the woman took a stance. The creature came closer and closer, until it could almost reach out and scratch her with it's claws. But at that instant, a large sword almost seemed to sprout from the woman. It was a good three feet long, a good bit bigger than the camp swords, and the creature practically thrust itself upon it, thoroughly impaling itself.

It gargled as it looked down in disbelief. The woman did not hesitate. She tore it out of the creature and swung it, and it cleaved right through his neck in one smooth swing. his head stayed there for a moment, as if it needed to be sure that it was completely severed. But it slowly fell off and hit the ground, the now headless body following.

The other creature seemed to realize that this woman was not something to be toyed with. I was inclined to agree, if that feeling that I was getting off of her was at all real. It snarled one last time and then turned to me.

"We will meet again, whelp. Be certain of that."

And then it turned tail and fled, out of my sight within seconds. I swayed where I stood, fighting a sudden clouding of my vision. I turned to the mysterious woman who had quite literally saved my ass. She stepped closer, into a more clear moonlight, but for some reason, I could not focus on her. The world seemed to be spinning and twisting, and I realized that that knock on my head obviously had done more damage than I thought.

I felt my feet leave the ground, and the sky as I fell. But just before I hit the pavement, two strong, yet feminine hands grabbed me from behind...

-0-

_Oh man...my head..._

Waking up from whatever this was was seriously painful. That dream was strange. Seriously, I had had some weird dreams lately, but nothing came close to the realistic show my mind had just played. I tried to raise my head, but a wave of dizziness overcame me.

_What the..._

Apparently, it was not a dream at all. My eyes opened slightly, as much as I could without headache, and I beheld a fire burning nearby. But I got the feeling it was more for light than warmth, as I was not feeling the cold air around me. Actually, it felt better than staying by the fire would have. My body felt stiff but most of the pain was in my head, though it was slowly receding. I looked down to find myself lying on a bed of furs. What animal it was I could not say, but it was strangely comfortable.

My mind replayed all the events of what seemed like seconds ago. The walk outside the camp, the encounter with those creatures, and that woman...

Who was she?

I heard a slight shuffle next to me, and I jerked my head to my right to see a woman sitting upon the ground, watching me. I had seen some very beautiful things in the wilds. Despite the hard existence, the sights and smells at times were the best things I could ever hope to enjoy...

This woman was beauty incarnate. He eyes were dark blue, almost inhuman in their beauty. They were like a icy blue winter, and they shocked me as I looked into them. Her hair was black as midnight, and stretch past her shoulders to her upper back. Her cheekbones were perfectly placed, and her lips were perfectly carved as well. She was slightly pale skinned, but that only added to it. She could have been no older than twenty three or so.

"Uh..." I opened my mouth to say something. She smiled, a smile that a parent would give a child that had just awoken from a surgery. She raised herself from her sitting position.

"Your up. I knew you would not stay down for long."

She scooted herself closer, maintaining her stance. Instinctively, I scooted away from her. She may have been the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, but she was still a stranger. I did not trust what I did not know.

She saw my reaction and sighed, though she gave me a warm smile.

"You don't need to be afraid of me Einar. I wont hurt you."

"Who are you?" I asked, finding my voice.

The woman opened her mouth slightly as if debating what to say.

"Einar, I know this will be strange for you. But please bear with me."

"Who are you?" I repeated my question. She looked me dead in the eye as she answered.

"Einar, my name is Skadi. I am the goddess of the winter, the wilds, and the hunt. I...I'm your mother, Einar."

_My what now?_

I stared at this beautiful, yet strange woman, and said the first words that came to my mind...

"Bullshit..."

**Well, there you have it. The big reveal is revealed. How many of you saw it coming?**

** Don't forget to review. If you have any ideas on what you would like to see, go ahead and tell me. I know where I want to take it, but if you folks have something you'd think is a good idea, I have two working eyes to read what you've got.**

** Until we meet again...run fast, duck low, and wear Kevlar!**


	7. Mommy Dearest

Chapter 7: Mommy Dearest

"Bullshit."

I absolutely meant it. Just who the hell did she think she was? This strange woman suddenly shows up right after I am about to get killed by some ass-ugly mutants and claims that she is my mother? The same mother that I had not seen for my whole life? Sure she just saved my ass, but to say that she is my mother? Seriously, what the Hell!

The woman seemed to almost read my mind. She sat there with her hands in her lap, looking at me with what seemed like honest worry. Just who was this "Skadi"? She said she was a goddess, and though I could not deny the fact she just diced one of those creatures, I had not seen anything to indicate some kind of divine being.

"What did you say your name was again?" I asked. It was the only thing I could think of right now.

"My name is Skadi. I am a goddess. And I am your mother," She replied in a low voice.

"_You_ are my mother?"

"Yes."

"Oh...okay..."

The woman...Skadi...moved just a little closer. I started feeling really uncomfortable lying on this mat of fur. Yes, I now realized that I was lying on a mat made of animal fur. It was quite comfortable actually. But the woman near me was not really allowing me to have any room to enjoy it.

"Are you sure your my mother?" I asked her. I really was not convinced. She sighed and slowly shook her head.

"Yes Einar, I'm sure I'm your mother. I recall giving birth to you, if that proves anything."

"Not really..."

The woman suddenly grinned.

"You are a stubborn one. Most people would be thankful that I just saved them from some Jotnar. But you on the other hand start to question me."

"Well, most people do not have a strange woman that they just met say that she is their mother, whom they had never seen."

"Yes, that does make sense..."

She leaned back from me and studied me for a moment. Then she gave me another smile. She seemed to like doing that...

"I never thought you'd turn out this way..."

"What do you mean? lady, you had better be explaining yourself."

"I mean like this," she said, gesturing toward me. "You were so fragile when I first held you. Granted, most newborns are, but you were a very delicate thing."

I did not say anything. This woman who was apparently under the impression that she was my mother was lost in time about some distant event. A distant event that she likened to me being born. I had never seen this woman in my life. Just who was she to suddenly come out of nowhere and claim to be my mother?

"Are you serious? I have never seen you in my life."

"Because you were only a baby when I had to give you up, for the time being."

"Give me up?" I asked. What kind of mother would give up her offspring?

She sighed and licked her lips in a clear gesture of deep thought.

"I feel I had better explain some things."

"Yeah, that would be nice..."

She readjusted herself and leaned close to me.

"Do you know that the gods exist?"

"Yeah. I actually have been living at a camp where they are the children of gods. Camp Half-Blood they call it."

"Yes Einar, that is a camp for demi-gods. But it is for the children of those Greek gods. You are not one of them."

"You mean I'm not a half-blood?"

"No, you are very much a half-blood. But you are not the child of an Olympian, as those Greeks fancy themselves."

So I was not one of them. Yet I was still like them. So just what was I exactly...?

"If I am not one of them, yet still like them, then what am I?"

Skadi looked at me with eyes that seemed so vastly filled with time. As if she suddenly showed her years, if only through her eyes. I actually felt my heart quicken at the sudden gaze, and she then spoke with a firm, powerful voice.

"You are the son of the gods of the North. The gods of the Germanic tribes. The people that Lord Odin created, so long ago."

"Lord Odin?"

"Yes, Odin. He is our leader, our commander of sorts. And he is the most wisest being you will ever find."

Suddenly she grinned wider.

"Let's say that that Olympian goddess, Athena, who claims herself to be so wise. Lord Odin could outsmart her faster than my arrows could fly."

"Okay..."

She leaned back once more.

"I am assuming you don't know of the gods of the Germanic people's, do you?"

"Ummm...nope. Doesn't ring a bell. Hell, I needed to have half of the camp's gods explained to me."

She took a deep breathe.

"Well, sit back and relax, I think I may have to do some explaining. The people of mainland Europe, the Germanic peoples, were often seen as barbarians by the Greeks and the Romans. But they had quite a bit more morals and nobility than they ever did. And we, the gods, watched over them. Not as masters over servants, but as family."

She paused, and I nodded my understanding. She continued.

"You are a direct child of us, Einar. But we see all that are descended from the original tribes to be family to us. That is something that separates us from the Olympians."

I nodded once more. For some reason, I was already liking these "Germanic" gods over the Greeks.

"We are most often thought of as the Norse gods. And we are the gods of the Norse. But we were also the gods of many of the mainland tribes, not just Scandinavia. The Norse simply used different names than the other tribes."

That got me interested.

"So you are the gods of the Norse _and_ the "Germanic" people?"

She grinned .

"Yes, we were the gods of both. The Norse were a Germanic people, just in Scandinavia and not the mainland area. They all had different names for us, but we were still the same for them all. Lord Odin was sometimes called 'Woden' or 'Wotan' by some groups. But we are still the same. We tend to go by our Norse names, as they are the most famous people that came from the first humans we created."

"So you guys are the ones who created mankind?"

"One of them. Those Greeks have their Titan that created the first humans for them. But the first people of the North were created by Odin."

I nodded. It made sense. The Olympians created some humans, the Germanic gods created some others.

Wait a minute...did they call themselves the _Germanic_ gods? The Greek gods called themselves Olympians. Did this group have a name for itself?

"Do you guys have a name for your group? Like the Olympians?"

"Yes actually. We are called the Aseir."

"The Aseir?"

"Yes, the Aseir."

I shrugged.

"What?" She asked, seeing my gesture.

"Nothing, it's just a lot cooler sounding than 'Olympian'".

She chuckled.

"I suppose so."

"Though I am still finding it hard to believe that you are my mother..."

She looked at me with suddenly sad eyes. Once more, I was taken back by the power her eyes held. It was as if she were looking right into my very soul. She sighed again and licked her lips. She seemed troubled by my words. Actually, a true mother probably would...

"I am sorry Einar. I honestly wish I could have been there for you. Please, let me explain."

She readjusted herself. She clearly seemed uncomfortable with what she was about to tell me.

"Einar, our children are among the most volatile of demi-gods. We are much more passionate about certain things then the children of the Greeks, or even the Roman demi-gods."

There were Roman Demi-gods? Hell, did the whole damned world have pantheons that got jiggy with mortals?

"They are much more prone to battle rages, and bloodlust. The Germanic people were combat incarnate. Battle was something they could never pass up. If you have ever read history, you would see that the Romans had the hardest time trying to subdue them. And they never did. In fact, it was the Germanic people that destroyed the Roman empire."

She leaned back for a moment, pausing in thought.

"I just hope that those Olympians remember that, when they take their roman forms..."

"Huh?" I asked, honestly confused. She shook her head and grinned at me.

"Nothing. Let's just say that the Olympian gods would not be very intelligent if they were to do anything to harm you. I have some very powerful family. And they would make short work of them."

"Short work of them?"

She grinned even wider.

"Some of them, Thor for example, could fight half of them at once, with only one hand gripping his hammer. And Tyr would raise some hell as well. And Ullr would hunt each of them down as they fled, allowing them to feel their end approaching."

I shuddered at the sudden darkness she seemed to throw out.

"Okay then..."

She shook her head again and grinned once more.

"Sorry. As I said, I have very powerful friends. So do not worry about being at the camp for the Olympians."

She sighed.

"And back to what I was originally saying. We are a very passionate group Einar. Because of this, you are much more prone tro moments of lust or rage, especially battle rage."

Battle rage. So that answered it. That strange bloodlust I got whenever I was cornered or attacked, whether physically or verbally. How I was able to finally defeat Clarisse. How I was able to cut my way through a whole team of fighters, without even feeling my efforts. But I had to confirm it.

"Skadi...er...mom," I began. She beamed at the first time I ever called her 'mom'. "There is this...thing...that sometimes happens. When I get pissed off. Is this that "rage" you were talking about?"

She nodded.

"Yes Einar. It is called the Beserker Rage".

Well, at least I had a name for it now...

She opened her mouth to say more but at that instant there was a loud _caw_. I looked up to see that on one of the trees, a large, black raven was perched there. It stared down at us, and I had the feeling that it was no ordinary raven that was just sitting there examining us with curiosity. Ity was there for a reason, and I felt it's gaze pierce me with an incredibly powerful force, as if the eyes it had were no the eyes of a raven, but of something so much more wiser, and so much more powerful than anything upon this Earth.

Skadi saw it too, and she looked at me with a sorrowful expression. She reached forward and placed her hand upon my forehead. There was a moment of numbness, and then all remaining pain was gone from my body. I audibly gasped with the sudden relief. My ribs felt as good as new, and not one muscle was still sore. She withdrew her hand gazed at me for a moment.

"I am afraid that that raven was a call. I must leave you for now."

Wait a minute? She was now going to just leave? She had answers about what I was! All my life, I had wondered just why I was different from so many others, and even at this camp for 'different' people, I was still a stranger. This woman showed herself to be my mother, and whether I really believed her was irrelevant right now. I wanted answers! I wanted some goddamn answers!

"But you can't just leave! I mean, I just now found someone that might be able to answer the questions that I have had for _years_! You just show up here, save my ass, and then reveal that your my mother! And then you tell me all this shit about the gods of the Germanic tribes and then tell me what this ability I have is, and then you say your going to just up and leave! Bullshit, do you hear me! _Bullshit_!"

Throughout my whole tirade, she held my gaze, and to my incredible annoyance, she even allowed a grin to spread wide across her face. I ran out of breathe and panted for a moment, glaring up at her. She reached forward and tenderly stroked my cheek. My rage that began to burn when she said she was going to leave vanished within a second. I gasped and stared at her. My emotions had gone through so much ups and downs by this point I was effectively burned out. She smiled visibly now, and I was shocked by just how much love showed in that smile.

This strange woman had just showed herself to me no more than several hours ago, by my estimates. She had revealed so much about me, that I would have to take at least several days to process all of it. But with the touch she gave me, I suddenly knew one thing for sure, without the least mental reservation. This woman was my mother. This goddess, Skadi, ruler of the night and the winter. And the huntress of the north...was my mother.

She held her hand there for a while longer, and I felt warmth enter my body. usually that would be uncomfortable, due to my seemingly natural inclination for icy cold feelings. But this was a different kind of warmth. It was the warmth only mother could give. SHe slowly removed her hand, and slowly stood up. She pointed to her right.

"The camp will be found in that direction. Hurry son, the night is fading fast, and you might want to be back before they find you.."

She lowered her arm.

"Einar, I know what I have told you will take some time for you to come to grips with. But know this. I am indeed your mother. And I love you. I love you just as any honest mother would. I must get back to Asgard. Odin granted me time to get away and save you, but my time is now up. But before I leave, I must inform you of something. Something you must remember, for it might come to pass very quickly."

"What, what is it?"

"You will be tested Einar. Children of ours are very carefully watched, more than any other demi-gods. We are a prideful group, and so you must prove yourself worthy of being a child of us. I do not yet know what this test may be, or what you may have to do, but you will be tested very soon."

I was helpless to do anything more. Skadi smiled one more time.

"I will be watching you Einar. Remember, I am all around you, all the time. And I will not give up on you. _Ever..._"

She began to gradually fade. Startled I jumped up and watched her slowly fade from view. The last thing from her I saw was her blue eyes, so powerful and piercing, and yet at the same time so loving...

"I love you my son..."

And then she was gone. Back to wherever she came from before she got here.

I stood there in shock for a moment. The reality of what had just been revealed to me was beginning to have it's effect. My own mother had just shown herself and then disappeared within hours. What...why...how?

I felt a different kind of anger rise in me, but this one was not like the battle rage that had so arisen within me recently. This one was different. This one felt deep, and it hurt, badly. I was fighting to hold back tears. Tears? I had not cried for so long now. Ever since I began to live in the wilds, and fend only for myself. So why was I suddenly feeling like crying? Did finally meeting my mother, my mother by blood, have such an effect upon me? What were these goddamn emotions running through me so viciously, and tearing down the barriers I had established for survival's sake!

And then I heard a different voice, a man's. Like my...mother's...it was very powerful. but there was a sense in it, a sense of might that was not present in my mother's. But it still felt rather comforting, if also rather terrifying.

"_Tears are not something to be ashamed of, young one..."_

I whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice_, _but as usual, there was no one in the area_. _Did the gods just have a thing for talking to people without actually appearing to them? It was rather strange.

"Who are you!" I called out. But the voice continued it's train of thought.

"_You are feeling extreme emotion at the sudden appearance and disappearance of your mother. And now you feel saddened by her sudden vanishing. This is not something to be ashamed of, young warrior. A true warrior knows that crying at the appropriate time shows your nobility, and your heart. Both of which are needed if you ever wish to succeed in your endeavors._"

He was right, whoever this was. I really was on the verge of tears, even with this strange voice speaking to me. For whatever reason, this whole night had left an impression on me, and my mother's appearance...who I now felt really was my mother, I could not deny it anymore...had seemed to finally fill some strange void within me. And that void's filling was now filling my eyes with tears. Despite the alarm that this new presence presented, I was still about to cry.

_"Your mother is right, Einar. Soon, you will be tested, in a way that no one knows, save the fates and my wife. But I have observed you Einar, and I will say that you are indeed an extremely resourceful warrior, even if you may not know it for yourself. I will be watching you for sure..."_

The first tear was beginning to form...

_"I will leave you to your emotions now. Until next time..."_

And with that, the voice was gone.

I fell to my knees. Tears flowed from my eyes as my throat uttered the same cries that would have been heard from that of a wounded beast. I shuddered as my body was tracked with emotional wave after wave. Just how many of these bouts was I going to experience? These mood swings, all because of my newly discovered heritage? Apparently that was the reason that I now was here, pn all fours, weeping my poor, pathetic guts out...

I felt a fresh wave of tears coming when I felt a warm something on my cheek. I looked up to see what it was, but there was nothing there. I tilted my head in confusion, when a second breeze was felt. But now it did not feel like a touch of wind, but like the stroke of a hand. I saw nothing there though. But then I realized what it was.

Mother...now I knew. The warmth I was now feeling, now chasing away the tears and fear within me. It was her. I had never knew she was there. I had fought through so much. Hunger, close calls, fights for survival. And I had always thought that it was me alone that got me through such ordeals.

But I knew it right then and there. She had been with me from the moment I first opened my eyes. I had wondered the world alone. Alone only in my own mind though. She had been at my back all the time, as she was now, drying the tears and anger and fear that was breifly flaring up within me. I let out a shaky smile.

"Thank...mom..."

It was a lot to take in in so short a time...but that was how I had always done it...

**Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, as I needed several days to gather my thoughts and even more time to get into the groove of writing. But I hope you all enjoyed the whole talk and new found revelation. I'm pretty sure some of you will get which god was talking to him after his mother left, but if you don't get it, don;t fret. All questions will be answered in due time.**

**For a completely random not, it was Alexandra Daddario, the girl who played Annabeth in the movie, that I envisioned as Skadi. **

**Until we meet again...Happy Hunting!  
**


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